U.P. excise dept move: Data analytics, hi-end scanners to help curb liquor smuggling
A provision for hand-held X-ray scanning machines has also been made in the state’s new excise policy 2025-26
The Uttar Pradesh excise department will soon use handheld high-tech X-ray scanning machines besides taking help of data analytics agency to give an impetus to its crackdown on inter-state smuggling of illicit liquor.
A provision for hand-held X-ray scanning machines has also been made in the state’s new excise policy 2025-26. A trial of these scanners was conducted earlier but the ones tested had some technical limitations. Now, the department is gearing to buy high-end scanners.
The scanners that were put to trial earlier are the ones which are used by Bihar government at the moment and come at a cost of around ₹1 crore each. Now, the excise department is gearing to get state-of-the-art X-ray scanners that cost around ₹20 crore each. They can scan vehicles more effectively and efficiently.
Uttar Pradesh excise minister Nitin Agarwal said, “On all our state borders, we have special enforcement teams as our state shares borders with Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, etc. We are ensuring that the liquor of other state does not enter U.P. at any cost and I think in the last three years, we have stopped smuggling to a great extent.”
“The earlier governments used to shield liquor mafia but it has been completely stopped now,” he added. “I have asked for budgetary provisions to buy handheld scanners which will help us scan vehicles coming from other states. These scanning machines will be given to our enforcement teams very soon,” Agarwal said.
{{/usCountry}}“The earlier governments used to shield liquor mafia but it has been completely stopped now,” he added. “I have asked for budgetary provisions to buy handheld scanners which will help us scan vehicles coming from other states. These scanning machines will be given to our enforcement teams very soon,” Agarwal said.
{{/usCountry}}“So far, the department has seized more than 2 lakh litres of illicit liquor in the last financial year, including the one which was being illegally manufactured in the state,” the minister added. The focus of the department will be the western parts of the state which share their borders with other states like Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab.
The smugglers usually take these routes to smuggle liquor to Uttar Pradesh and beyond, especially Bihar which is a dry state, to make manifold profit. Apart from X-ray scanning machines, the excise department is also going to hire a data analytics agency to help department take corrective measures accordingly.
While confirming the move, state excise commissioner Adarsh Singh said, “The data analytics agency will also help us know different trends. Suppose sales are going down on Madhya Pradesh and UP border, it means some illegal activity like smuggling is being done there. We need data to identify trends and take corrective measures.”
