In a strongly worded objection, the Punjab government has raised serious concerns over the increasing incidents of liquor smuggling from Chandigarh into various districts of the state.
In a detailed 13-page letter addressed to Ajay Chagti, secretary, excise and taxation, UT, Punjab excise and taxation commissioner Jitendra Jorwal attached a list of 35 FIRs registered within just one and a half months across multiple districts, since the beginning of financial year 2025-26, all related to liquor illegally smuggled from Chandigarh.
A senior officer from the UT excise department admitted that the primary reason for the smuggling was the excessively high liquor quota in Chandigarh. “Vendors are exploiting the quota by selling liquor outside the Union territory,” the officer said, adding that bottling plants in the city were also poorly monitored, which had led to unchecked sale to other states.
Despite repeated attempts, Chagti could not be reached for a comment.
The letter highlighted that this rampant smuggling was a clear violation of state excise laws and posed a serious threat to government revenue.
The most recent case, reported in Zirakpur on May 20, involved the seizure of 44 cartons of liquor originally meant for sale in Chandigarh. Investigations revealed that the QR codes and holograms, under UT’s track-and-trace system to check smuggling, had been deliberately removed from the bottles to evade detection and prevent the consignments from being traced.
Punjab has urged the Chandigarh excise and taxation secretary to take swift and strict action to curb the illegal flow of liquor from the Union territory.
{{/usCountry}}Punjab has urged the Chandigarh excise and taxation secretary to take swift and strict action to curb the illegal flow of liquor from the Union territory.
{{/usCountry}}The letter further pointed out that similar concerns were raised earlier this year as well.
On January 13, the assistant commissioner of the Ropar Range had flagged the issue of liquor smuggling from Chandigarh, urging timely action against violating retailers, wholesalers and bottling plants. In that instance too, evidence related to removed QR codes and holograms had been shared.
“In view of the gravity, scale and continued nature of the smuggling, we request your office to initiate firm enforcement measures and ensure strict accountability for those violating the law,” the letter stated.
The issue is not new. During financial year 2024-25 as well, Punjab had registered over 300 inter-state liquor smuggling cases, following which Chagti had charge-sheeted six officers from the excise department for negligence and failure to prevent the illegal activity.
A senior UT excise department official said, “The failure of officials to effectively carry out their duties resulted in a significant rise in smuggling cases. We also received formal complaints from the additional chief secretary of the Punjab excise and taxation department highlighting the persistent issue of liquor being smuggled from Chandigarh.”