“Intensify drive against illicit liquor,” directs Excise Minister Suklabaidya to officials

June 15: Minister for Excise, Parimal Suklabaidya asked the Excise officials of Darrang district to carry out enforcement drives regularly to prevent manufacture, sale and smuggling of illicit liquor. At a review meeting with the Excise officials held in the conference hall of Orang National Park here on Monday, Minister Suklabaidya directed all the officials to further intensify the ongoing drive against this menace.

He said concerted efforts needed to be made by joint teams of the civil and police administrations and the Excise department at the district and sub-divisional levels. He said the teams should work collectively to ensure that liquor smuggling, bootlegging and illicit distillation of liquor, if any, in the district were checked efficiently. “Special checking should be further organised in the coming days to check the sale of illicit liquor in the district,” the Minister added. He directed officers of the Excise department to hold regular checking and take feedback from various sources to curb illicit liquor.

The Excise officials apprised the Minister that several FIRs were registered against bootleggers and smugglers under the Excise Act in the past three months, besides nabbing several accused. Suklabaidya also directed them to mobilise revenue and to meet the revenue target set by the department. The officials requested the Minister to initiate steps to fill up the two posts of inspectors lying vacant. The meeting was also attended by MLA, Ganesh Limbu, former MLA, Gurujyoti Das, among others.