Assam Excise Department Seeks Neighbouring States’ Support

GUWAHATI: Liquor is alluring for a section of voters even as there are others for whom liquor holds no allure. To check allurement of voters with liquor during the Lok Sabha polls in the State, the State Excise department has sought help and support from their counterparts in Nagaland, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.

On March 25, 2019, the Assam Commissioner of Excise wrote a letter to his Nagaland counterpart requesting the latter to provide information like the total number of bonded warehouses meant for storing liquor for CSD/paramilitary forces in Nagaland and their permitted supply quantity. The Assam Excise Commissioner needs such information as a large quantity of liquor keeps passing through Assam from Arunachal Pradesh with the permit of supply to CSD/paramilitary forces in Nagaland. The State Excise Commissioner has made it clear that such information will help him check the movement of liquor in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. This, in turn, according to the State Excise department, will check allurement of voters with liquor.

The content of this letter has made it amply clear that liquor in large quantity keeps passing through Assam to Nagaland with the permit for supply of liquor to CSD/paramilitary forces in Nagaland. The letter has also proved that the State Excise Department takes with a pinch of salt the claim of a section of warehouses in Arunachal that their entire quantity of liquor being transported to Nagaland through Assam is out and out for CSD/paramilitary personnel.

Meanwhile, the State Excise Department has formed its central squad force, district and flying squad forces to check illegal movement of liquor in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election. The flying squad force will maintain vigil in the sensitive as well as the border areas.

This apart, the department has also asked all liquor factories and warehouses to keep feeding it with daily information regarding their opening and closing stocks. The department has given a toll-free number – 18003453545 – for people to lodge complaints.

Assam has 2,084 IMFL retailers, 79 bonded warehouses, 18 bottling plants, 539 country liquor retailers and 44 bonded warehouses for country liquor.

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