Liquor mafia active in Himachal, causing loss to exchequer

lit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 16

Liquor mafia was active in Himachal during the lockdown. Sources here said that liquor was coming out of bottling plants and distilleries located in Himachal for illegal sale causing huge revenue loss to the state exchequer. Allegations were also being leveled that illegal sale of liquor was carried out by some people involved in the trade that caused huge loss to the state exchequer.

Recent cases detected by the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau and police in Una and Kangra districts are a testimony to the fact.

Vigilance seized 700 boxes of liquor recently from a contractor in Una which did not have holograms of the excise department. In subsequent raids on a bottling plant located in Una district the vigilance seized 1,200 such boxes. Sources in the excise department said that about 12 per cent stock available in bottling plant did not have holograms.

It is mandatory for all distilleries to put holograms on bottles so that no tampering is done and quality of product was maintained.

After the Una seizure, senior-most excise officials of the district were transferred allegedly under the influence of liquor lobby.

SP Vigilance Kangra, S Arul Kumar admitted that the illegal liquor was seized from a contractor and bottling plant. He said that a case under the Excise Act has been registered and the vigilance was looking into connivance of excise officials in the case. The vigilance officials investigating the case have calculated that in the liquor seized by them government revenue was losing revenue of Rs 5 lakh, he said.

Today also from Nagrota Bagwan area the police recovered about 800 cases of liquor that was being sold illegally. Till the filing of this report the police inquiring into the source from which the liquor had come out without paying the government taxes.

SP Kangra, Vimukt Ranjan admitted that the police had seized 800 boxes of liquor from Nagrota Bagwan area of Kangra district. He said that the police was inquiring into the passes that were available with the people from whom liquor was seized and see whether a criminal or case under the Excise Act could be registered against the accused.

Sources here hinted at the role of some influential political and bureaucratic nexus in illicit trade of liquor in Himachal. Sources also said efforts were being made to hush up the matter.

In Covid crisis when the state was already facing revenue deficit excise collection was very significant for the state.

No holograms on bottles

• Vigilance recently seized 700 boxes of liquor from a contractor in Una which did not have holograms of the excise department. Sources said that about 12 per cent stock available in bottling plant did not have holograms.
• It is mandatory for distilleries to put holograms on bottles so that no tampering is done and quality of product is maintained.
• After the Una seizure, senior-most excise officials of the district were transferred allegedly under the influence of liquor lobby.