This was after a purported audio clip of an excise inspector asking a liquor vend employee to arrange scotch whisky bottles for a minister’s party went viral. (Representative image)GURUGRAM: The Gurugram excise department which generates maximum revenue from liquor for Haryana has come under the scanner for alleged misuse of power. This was after a purported audio clip of an excise inspector asking a liquor vend employee to arrange scotch whisky bottles for a minister’s party went viral. The inspector has been transferred to the headquarters in Panchkula, but the incident has turned the spotlight on the department. For the current financial year, the licences for liquor vends in Gurugram were auctioned for Rs 1,100 crore, and the department is expected to collect around Rs 2,200 crore in revenue in 2022-23. Liquor vend owners, however, claim that requests for free scotch whisky bottles is not very common in the city. Excise areas in the city are divided into east and west Gurugram, having 40 and 42 zones, respectively. While liquor zones for east Gurugram were auctioned for Rs 568 crore which was 43% higher than the previous fiscal, those for Gurugram west were sold for Rs 532 crore which was 27% higher than 2021-22. Due to high competition, many paid higher prices for zones but now some of them are struggling to earn profits. Around a dozen liquor retailers are, in fact, struggling to pay the licence fee for the quarter. “The first quarter that started from June was not very promising in terms of business due to Shravan, weather conditions and various other reasons. The second quarter is expected to be better,” said an excise official. “Maximum liquor sales are recorded between October and January.” However, the controversial audio clip has turned the spotlight on the working of the excise department, particularly in a high-revenue area like the city. In the audio clip, excise inspector Sandeep Lohan can be purportedly heard asking an employee of a liquor store in Sector 47 to send six bottles of 15-year-old Glenfiddich single malt scotch whisky to a city hotel where a Haryana minister was hosting a party. When the employee responded that the particular whisky was unavailable, Lohan got angry and sealed the store for violation of excise policy the next day. The employee who had recorded the entire conversation on his mobile phone shared it with the store owner who, in turn, raised the issue with the excise commissioner. When no action was taken, the store owner sent his complaint to the CM Window (grievance redressal system), vigilance department and the Haryana home minister. The department swung into action and transferred the excise inspector to the headquarters on August 17. The liquor store was also de-sealed. When contacted, deputy excise and taxation commissioner (east) of Gurugram, Ravider Singh, said, “Soon after the matter came to light, action was taken against the officer. The officer was relieved of all work and directed to report to the head office in Panchkula and a departmental inquiry has been initiated.” In the past few months, the CM’s flying squad has busted several ahatas operating illegally in Gurugram. As per the excise policy, liquor vends can operate an ahata, after paying an additional excise fee, where people can bring liquor bottles from that particular outlet and drink. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebookTwitterInstagramKOO APPYOUTUBE
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/liquor-for-ministers-party-scotch-clip-puts-scanner-on-excise-officials/articleshow/93669911.cms