Army on booze binge, happy hour at canteens

The first audit of the defence ministry’s Canteen Sales Department, which provides subsidised goods to soldiers, has nailed army units for drawing liquor way above authorisation. Rahul Singh reports.

The army either has a drinking problem or bootleggers in its ranks.

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The first audit of the defence ministry’s Canteen Sales Department (CSD), which provides subsidised goods to soldiers, has nailed army units for drawing liquor way above authorisation. The market value of surplus liquor drawn in the last six years is R19.45 crore, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said in a report tabled in Parliament on Friday. It suspects the liquor is being smuggled into the civilian market.

“CSD should ensure liquor is issued to canteens strictly per authorisation to prevent leak into the civilian market,” the report said.

The CSD, with a turnover of R6,900 crore last year, has 3,600 unit canteens. These get their stocks from 34 area depots. Units were found overdrawing from five depots.

The Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre here has been binging the most — it overdrew liquor worth R4.79 crore. Station Headquarters Dehu Road, near Pune, took away R1.75 crore in excess.

Canteens hauled off the extra liquor by not keeping monthly closing stocks. “The quantum of excess due to this couldn’t be ascertained in the absence of details,” CAG said. Moreover, the army denied the auditor access to canteen records.

“Some units may have overdrawn but others took less. Overall sales balanced out,” a senior officer said.