Excise department tightens the noose on illicit liquor business

State Taxes and Excise Commissioner Yunus said here today that a team of the department had tightened the noose on liquor mafia across the state, especially the border areas of the Kangra and other districts.

He said that a team of the State Taxes and Excise department had raided the border areas of Kangra district Chhanni Beli and Bhadroa adjoining Punjab and had recovered huge quantities of raw liquor and destroyed it on the spot. He said that the departmental team had raided these areas with the help of Himachal Home Guard personnel. The team constituted by the In-charge of departmental revenue district Nurpur Tikkam Thakur, had other members included Assistant Commissioners of Nurpur, Jawali and Indora circles and other officers and employees of the department.

The Commissioner said that this team had carried out a wide search operation in the forests of village Bhadroa and took possession of the raw liquor prepared there. The team took the possession of four furnaces, plastic drums and cans etc.

The State Taxes and Excise Commissioner said that the department was getting many complaints about illegal liquor business in this area. Being a border area adjoining Punjab, the departmental officers had to face many difficulties in taking action there. In spite of this, the departmental team took strict action and destroyed four liquor kilns and 1850 liters of raw liquor after as per the departmental procedure, added Commissioner.

He said that a special task force had been constituted by the department for the border areas of the state. Apart from this, teams had been formed at every district level. He said that a departmental team of district Sirmaur had also destroyed about 1000 liters of raw liquor in the Khara area adjoining Paonta Sahib. Similarly, about 650 liters of illicit liquor had been destroyed in other districts also.

Yunus said that all the district In-charges and the area Collector (enforcement) In-charges had been instructed to take strict action against those involved in the illicit liquor business.