The State Excise Department has registered a total of 103 cases of illegal liquor during the current financial year. A total of 5438.771 bulk litre of illegal liquor has been seized from various districts and 18,743 litre of Lahan was destroyed.
The department has constituted special teams at the headquarters level to curb the menace of illegal liquor. These teams recently conducted a raid at a unit in Solan, where a major shortfall in the stock of ENA was detected. In addition, illegal holograms and labels were also recovered from the premises. The department has filed an FIR in this matter and further action under the Himachal Pradesh Excise Act is being taken for the irregularities found at the unit.
In another similar case, the departmental has filed an FIR against a licensee was illegally manufacturing liquor using illegal holograms and labels and major discrepancies in the stock of spirit and liquor in the Sirmaur district
In recent times, the department has been carrying out an intensive statewide campaign against illegal liquor. In one such case, liquor brought from Chandigarh was seized in Chamba district. Illegal beer was also caught in Una and Bilaspur districts. Similar major enforcement actions were taken in Mandi, Shimla and Kullu districts after inspecting various locations to curb illegal liquor activities.
Excise Commissioner Yunus stated that stringent action will continue against such unlawful activities in the future. He emphasized that strict surveillance will be maintained against those causing revenue loss to the state through the illegal liquor trade. He has appealed to the public to report any information related to illegal liquor production or trade through the department's helpline numbers: 0177-2620426, WhatsApp: 94183-31426, Zonal Offices: Southern Zone: 0177-2620426, Northern Zone: 01894-230186, Central Zone: 01905-223499.
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