LAKKI MARWAT    -   The management of Lucky Cement factory has categorically denied the rumours regarding shutting down of its Pezu plant by local Excise and Taxation Department.In a statement issued on Friday, the management said that the company’s operations including cement production and dispatches continued to run smoothly.The statement was issued in the backdrop of action taken by a team of local Excise And Taxation Department to seal the cement production unit.An official of Excise Department told journalists that the main entrance and exit gates of the factory were sealed for nonpayment of taxes dues worth millions of rupees.He said that ETO Irshad Afridi led the action when Peshawar High Court rejected the petition of cement factory for exemption from payment of taxes. He said that the excise team visited Pezu town in the morning and closed the gates of factory in the light of the decision of the court. He said that the Peshawar High Court judgment was in favour of excise and local government departments, adding that the Excise And Taxation Department issued several notices to the factory to clear dues and deposit taxes but to no avail. The factory management, however, clarified that the local Excise And Taxation Department under the supervision of ETO Irshad Afridi tried to close the main entrance of its Pezu plant which was an illegal act in light of the Peshawar High Court decision. In a statement it said that the officials of Excise Department returned when the company administration informed them about the Peshawar High court decision. It added that the action by Excise And Taxation Department Irshad Afridi was aiming to harass the company employees and mislead local media to publish false news. Hinting at initiating legal action against illegal acts, the statement further said that Lucky Cement is the largest taxpayer in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the only source of employment opportunities in Darra Pezu area.