NEW DELHI: Lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Saturday approved the suspension of 11 excise officials, including an IAS and a DANICS officer, for “deliberate lapses” in implementing the excise policy. “An inquiry report by the directorate of vigilance establishes substantiated involvement of (deputy chief minister) Manish Sisodia in the excise scam,” added sources in the LG’s office, setting the stage for an escalation in the confrontation between the Centre and the Delhi government. No reaction was available from the latter. The suspended officers include the then excise commissioner, Arava Gopi Krishna, a 2012-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer, currently posted in the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, and deputy commissioner Anand Kumar Tiwari, a 2003-batch DANICS officer, who is now posted in the excise department. Both Krishna and Tiwari could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. The report by the directorate of vigilance has pointed out “serious lapses” by officers in implementing Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, including “inter-alia irregularities in finalising the tender and extending post-tender benefits to select vendors”. Sources said “substantiated proofs” against the officers have been provided to the vigilance directorate, headed by the chief secretary, by the finance and excise departments. Suspension and major disciplinary proceedings have also been approved against three ad-hoc DANICS officers, all assistant commissioners, and six others. All officials are posted in the excise department. “The inquiry report clearly brings out blatant violation of procedures, deliberate misinterpretation and subversion of basic government financial rules to provide benefit to licencees/tenderers for a quid pro quo,” the sources in the LG’s office claimed. Pointing out alleged instances of “deliberate procedural lapses”, the sources said the excise department returned the earnest money deposit of the highest bidder for the airport zone after it failed to get a no-objection certificate from the airport authorities. “Officers tried to equate the failure of the successful tenderer selected through the bidding process in obtaining an NOC from the airport authorities with unsuccessful bidders to justify the return of the EMD amounting to Rs 30 crore,” the sources alleged, adding that the deputy CM, through a note dated July 9, 2021, approved this. In another case, waiver of licence fee worth Rs 144.36 crore was allowed on account of closure of retail vends due to Covid when there was no such provision in the tender document. “Despite a specific recommendation of the accounts branch for not allowing compensations more than the actual reduction in sales, the officers moved the same and the minister in-charge vide a direction dated 01/02/2022 directed for providing pro rata licence fee relief to each licensee of the closed vends,” the source said, quoting the inquiry report. Sources alleged that even after finalisation of the excise policy, the group of ministers suggested major changes in the annual licence fee and a change in methodology to calculate the same on June 23, 2021. “Despite officials of the finance department, including the secretary, suggesting that the same should be sent to the LG for his approval, as per the amended GNCTD Act, which came into force on April 27, 2021, the deputy CM blocked the note and returned the file to the department. Within four days of this, the excise department floated tenders for 32 zones,” alleged the sources. Quoting the inquiry report, the officials also alleged that the excise department “brazenly indulged in cartelization, awarding tenders to blacklisted companies and illegally allowing manufacturers to get retail licences” by illegally amending the excise policy under direct supervision of the excise and finance minister.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/delhi-lg-vk-saxena-approves-suspension-of-11-officials-in-excise-scam/articleshow/93399398.cms
