Check illegal liquor sales, officials told JC

Eluru: Joint Collector M Venugopala Reddy has asked the enforcement wing of the Excise Department to focus on illegal stocks and sales of liquor in the wake of implementation of new excise policy.

The Joint Collector convened a meeting and reviewed the functioning of new liquor shops allowed under new excise policy here on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, the Joint Collector directed the enforcement wing to keep a close watch on every village and check illegal preparation of liquor or sales.

As the government reduced the number of shops by 20 per cent under new excise policy this year, there is possibility of illegal preparation of liquor and its sales in villages or places where there were no liquor shops.

While the State government permitted 377 liquor shops in the district, as many as 361 were already started functioning. He ordered the Excise Department officials to verify stocks in those shops from time to time and send reports to the authorities. Excise superintendents and AES' should be held responsible for any variations in stocks or cash transactions, he warned.

He told the officials to take into consideration the criticism that the brands used by customers of particular areas were not available in the liquor shops and keep them available. Excise Department Deputy Commissioner V Anasuya Devi and others were present.