Rs 7.7 cr fine on firms for selling liquor during lockdown

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, November 20

The Excise and Taxation Department has imposed a penalty of around Rs 7.7 crore on L-1 and L-13 licensees in Hisar, Bhiwani, Jind, Sirsa and Fatehabad for selling liquor during the Covid-induced lockdown, when the Centre had banned its sale.

Not only had the sale of illicit liquor picked up during the lockdown, but also its manufacturing saw a rise. The Centre had allowed the sale of liquor on May 6.

Excise officials had checked the inventories in warehouses of the licensees in March. When they again inspected the warehouses in April and May, they found the stock missing. The department has imposed a fine of Rs 2.57 crore on three Bhiwani firms, which have five licences of L-1 and L-13. In Fatehabad, Rs 1.12 crore penalty has been imposed on two firms while, in Hisar, Rs 1.17 crore fine has been imposed on three firms.

Three firms of Jind have been slapped with a collective fine of Rs 1.12 crore, while one firm of Sirsa was fined Rs 1.8 crore. Officials said the firms had served notices to deposit the fine within a week.

So far, the department has imposed about Rs 49 crore fine on L-1 and L-13 licence holders, who reportedly smuggled illicit liquor during the lockdown. The highest penalty of Rs 16.65 crore has been slapped on four Karnal firms, which has seven licences.

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