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UP excise dept gets set for crackdown on illicit liquor
The excise department has also introduced digital locks for tankers carrying molasses from sugar mills as well as alcohol and ethanol because at times, alcohol is stolen from the tankers and sold to notorious people, who illegally prepare and sell illicit liquor .
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh excise department has decided to install CCTV cameras at all liquor shops operated by the department.
The CCTV cameras, along with a new five-digit toll free number (14405) issued on Wednesday, are aimed at identifying cases of overrating of liquor or of illegal activities outside liquor outlets. The new toll-free number would be marked on all country liquor shops, foreign liquor shops, beer shops and model shops also, officials said.
Excise commissioner Senthil Pandian C said that cameras had already been installed at about 18,000 shops out of about total 27,500 liquor shops in the state. “Instructions have been given to the officers to get the cameras installed at the remaining shops also. DVR of CCTV cameras installed on shops will also be checked on random basis, which will help in checking illegal activities at the shops,” he said.
While the new toll-free number is aimed at encouraging people to report cases of illicit liquor, the department has also introduced digital locks for tankers carrying molasses from the sugar mills as well as those carrying alcohol and ethanol.
“At times, alcohol is stolen from the tankers and sold to notorious people, who illegally make and sell the illicit liquor prepared from this alcohol. The digital locks would be placed in front of department officials and will check theft from tankers, preventing the manufacture and sale of illicit liquor,” said additional chief secretary Sanjay R Bhoosreddy.
“The department has decided to install digital locks by making a radical change in the already existing system of sealing the tankers. Digital locks can be opened only at their destination. Installation of digital locks in tankers transporting liquor / molasses/ ethanol shall be supervised by assistant excise commissioner appointed in distilleries and sub excise inspectors appointed in sugar mills,” the official said.
The new five-digit toll free number – 14405 - on which complaints regarding illicit liquor can be made, would operate along with previous helpline number ‘18001805331’ and WhatsApp number – 9454466019, officials said. Excise commissioner, Senthil Pandian C said the new helpline had an “easy recall”.
“It will make it easy for the complainants to remember and register their complaint immediately,” the officials said.
Pandian said on Bhoosreddy’s instructions, a control room had already been set up at the excise headquarters in Prayagraj and it was continuously functional to receive information regarding the manufacture, sale and smuggling of illicit liquor.
“These helpline and toll-free numbers are aimed at encouraging people to register complaints regarding manufacture, sale and smuggling of illicit liquor,” the officials said.
