SATISH HANDA
On the report of Chief Secretary Haryana state government, Manohar Lal Khatter Chief Minister has ordered vigilance investigation in the biggest liquor scam reported in the state so far. SET report was submitted to Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on July 31 this year who recommended vigilance investigation in the case. SET in the report also stated action against an IAS officer Sheikhar Vidyarthi holding the charge Excise & Taxation Commissioner due to number of irregularities in the function of department and an IPS officer Pratikhsha Godara then SP at Sonepat for providing two government security guards to a liquor mafia illegally sold and smuggled huge stocks of stolen liquor during lockdown period. In SET report vigilance investigation in irregularities during a year prior to lock down period was also suggested.
However, Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala also holding the charge of excise department objected over Home Minister’s recommendation for vigilance investigation as specified in SET report and gave clean chit to excise department officers, but Chief Minister Khatter supported the decision by Home Minister Anil Vij and forwarded the case to Chief Secretary for final decision also suggested vigilance investigation in the case. However, Vijay Vardhan Additional Chief Secretary Home Department has directed Additional Chief Secretary Excise Department Anurag Rastogy to hold departmental investigation against those officers responsible for irregularities and neglects during lock down period as well as prior to lockdown for a period one year.
According to SET report, objections were raised on various irregularities in Excise & Taxation Department under the charge of Shekhar Vidyarthi including lack of support to SET during investigation, failed to release written orders to close down liquor vends during lock down period, CCTV cameras not installed at distilleries as per excise department policy 2011-12 or any feedback in this regard was provided by the department, expired liquor stocks not destroyed as per rule, issuing permits during lock down and few others. Meanwhile, Dushyant Chautala has taken stern action as regard checking over distilleries in the state including installation of GPS Tracking System on all vehicles coming out of distilleries, checking the working of all CCTV cameras installed in distilleries after every 15 days by excise department officers and installation of tamper proof electronic flow meters at the distilleries,
Addressing a press conference at Haryana Niwas on Thursday, Dushyant Chautala dismissed most of the objections raised in SET report saying that all recommendations made in this report has already been covered in new excise policy. He said, when decision was taken to close down all liquor vends on March 25, 2020, stock reports of all liquor vends were collected by all DETC offices in the state and on March 27 stocks were again checked at every vend by DETC of every district in the month April this year. He said, physical verification of liquor stocks was taken on the orders of Chief Minister when complaints of liquor sale during lock down period were received which are still under observation and action will be taken against those L-1 and L-13 contractors in case liquor stocks found lesser or excessive..Chautala said, Track and Trace System has been introduced in new excise policy and all liquor vendors has been directed to install CCTV camera at their sale counters.
Dushyant Chautala disclosed that excise department in Haryana state earned record revenue worth Rs 263 crore in first quarter in-spite of the fact people all over in the state are fighting against corona virus. He added, its first time the department was able to collect Rs 27.58 crore additional excise tax during the quarter, whereas in the previous year the department was able to collect only Rs one lakh additional excise duty. He told that excise department collected Rs 62 crore towards additional retail license fee, Rs 4 crore excess permit fee and Rs 74.80 crore towards Coved Cess during first quarter in the year.
