Latest news with #Excisedepartment
Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Hry tweaks excise policy to ease liquor bidding process
Gurugram: The Haryana Excise and Taxation department has amended key provisions of the Excise Policy 2025–27. The changes, which came into effect this week, aim to reduce the financial burden on bidders and make the policy more business-friendly, particularly for Gurugram East and West, where the bidding process had to be rescheduled due to the amendments made, officials said. Under the revised policy, the department has lowered the total security requirement from 15% to 11% of the licence fee. Additionally, the initial security deposit at the time of bidding has been reduced from 3% to 2%, and the percentage of the licence fee required to start lifting the allotted liquor quota has also been cut from 7% to 5%. These measures are expected to ease entry barriers for potential bidders and encourage wider competition across retail zones. Deputy excise and taxation commissioner (DETC), Gurugram West, Jitender Dudi said, 'The amendments have been introduced to create a more investor-friendly environment and enhance participation, especially from small and medium bidders who were previously constrained by high upfront deposits. We believe the new terms will strike a balance between transparency and ease of doing business.' According to the revised schedule, the e-tendering for Gurugram West will now be held on May 26 and 27, while the Gurugram East bidding will take place on May 30 and 31. The bidding window for both zones will remain open from 9:00am to 4:00pm on the respective days, with evaluations to be carried out at 5:00pm. Another crucial amendment allows 91% of the licence fee to be paid in monthly instalments, with the remaining 9% will be adjusted from the security amount in the last two months of the policy year. Excise department officials said this will significantly ease liquidity pressure on licence holders, who earlier faced stiff upfront payment requirements. The Excise department has also set up help desks in both East and West Gurugram offices to assist bidders with registration and e-tendering procedures. Updated policy details are available on the official website The policy changes have drawn positive feedback from industry stakeholders who view them as a long-needed reform in Haryana's excise system. The department reiterated that the amendments were made in public interest and to ensure efficient implementation of the new excise policy. Supreme Court advocate Rajeev Yadav, who has played an important role in the new policy, said that the excise department's connivance with tainted tax evasion bidders is evident. 'They have made ₹60 lakhs as the financial capability of a bidder whereas the average reserve price per zone in the east district of Gurugram is ₹40-45 crores. Black money has always been routed via liquor sales without bills and taxes and this will increase further. They indulge in black marketing and when caught then a small financial bidder (servant or peon) is blacklisted to be followed by a new fake bidder,' he said.
Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Indian Express
Inter-state liquor smuggling: 1,134 cases lodged in Delhi — 706 from 5 districts on Haryana border
Of the 1,134 FIRs lodged in connection with inter-state smuggling and sale of illicit liquor across 15 police districts of Delhi between August 31, 2022, and April 24, 2025, 706 cases have been lodged at five districts that share borders with Haryana, government data has revealed. While 193 FIRs have been lodged in the Southwest district, 145 were registered in West, 126 in South, 125 in Outer, and 117 in South East. All these districts share a border with Haryana cities like Gurgaon, Faridabad, and Bahadurgarh, among others. 'Interstate smuggling of liquor largely happens through the Haryana borders. One of the key reasons behind this is the deployment of weak security… Proper checking and enforcement are a big issue, especially at Haryana's border areas. The department's enforcement team has also observed that liquor is coming directly from the manufacturer and warehouses…,' said a senior excise official. The official said the disparity in liquor prices between Delhi and Haryana is another major reason behind inter-state smuggling. 'Liquor is costlier in Delhi when compared to Haryana. Also, there are private vends and wholesale shops in Haryana where customers get good offers on liquor. So, most of the time, people buy from these shops in bulk and smuggle the same into Delhi to sell the stuff illegally…' Asked if the non-availability of some liquor brands in Delhi — which have been named in the excise policy scam case — is also a reason behind inter-state smuggling, another senior official said, 'Initially, when the new liquor policy was scrapped, there were issues. But in a few months, a large number of brands registered in Delhi. Certain brands are not allowed in Delhi, as these are involved in the excise policy scam case… But more than 900 registered brands are available in Delhi… So, that is not the case.' The official added that not many such cases can be found when it comes to other NCR borders like Noida and Ghaziabad, as liquor in Delhi is cheaper than in Uttar Pradesh. 'To stop illegal smuggling and supply, the Excise department has increased surprise inspections and is also conducting raids every Saturday,' said an official, adding that a special enforcement drive was launched recently by the department. After the old liquor policy was scrapped, only 792 government-run liquor vends operate in Delhi. Four corporations — Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, Delhi Consumers' Cooperative Wholesale Store Limited, Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, and Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited — run these vends. According to industry sources, however, Delhi is also facing a shortage of popular brands of beer such as Kingfisher and Corona. These, however, are available in NCR cities. Officials said this also leads to revenue loss and illicit liquor supply in the city. Sources in the Excise department said it will be writing to the four corporations to order more popular brands of beer to stop illegal supply and provide better availability to people in Delhi.
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- The Hindu
Joint efforts under way to combat illegal liquor and drug sales in Kollam
The district-level monitoring committee formed to enforce the ban on arrack has demanded strict inspections to prevent the sale of liquor beyond permissible limits and drug peddling. At a meeting chaired by District Collector N. Devidas on Friday instructions were given to departments concerned to intensify surveillance. During the past two months, the Excise department conducted 2,173 raids in the district under 'Operation Clean Slate' and 272 people were arrested in 256 drug-related cases. As part of the 'Vimukthi' campaign, 201 awareness classes were held at the school level while 96 classes were organised at colleges. The committee assessed that the Excise department's vigilant efforts helped prevent the inflow of spurious liquor and reduce drug trafficking. The committee also demanded that strict action be taken against complaints of illegal liquor and drug sales in Munroe Thuruthu. In order to address the issue, it was decided to conduct joint inspections by the police and excise in Kalluvathukkal, Kallumthazham, Chathannur, Mayyanad, Mukhathala, and Karunagappally. Directions were also issued to intensify inspections in tourist centres, flats and secluded areas. While awareness sessions in schools will be made more active, inspections will be held on college hostels, railway and bus stands, and shops selling 'arishtams'. P.C. Vishnunath, MLA; Deputy Excise Commissioner M. Naushad; Assistant Excise Commissioner V.C. Baiju; and monitoring committee members attended the meeting.
The Hindu
22-04-2025
- The Hindu
Hybrid ganja case in Kerala: Couple's arrest opens a pandora's box
Acting on specific intelligence, sleuths from the Excise department lay in wait near a resort at Omanapuzha in Alappuzha, Kerala, on the night of April 1. Around 10:30 p.m., a rented car carrying five individuals — including a couple and their two children — arrived at the location. Among them was Thasleema Sulthana, alias Christina, a Kerala-born woman currently residing in Chennai, who had booked a room at the resort under the pretence of being a film scriptwriter. She entered the premises carrying a bag. Moments later, officials apprehended Thasleema along with her accomplice K. Feroze, a native of Mannancherry in Alappuzha. Then came the real shocker. Inside the bag were three kilograms of hybrid ganja worth around ₹2 crore. According to officials, it was the largest haul of hybrid ganja ever seized by the Excise department in the State. While the size of the haul itself was significant, the subsequent investigation uncovered even more startling details. A week after the initial arrests, the Excise department nabbed Sultan Akbar Ali, Thasleema's husband, from Chennai. Sultan, who was present with Thasleema at the time of her arrest, was initially let off due to a lack of evidence. However, as the investigation progressed, he emerged as the prime suspect. Investigators said that Sultan had brought the drug from Bangkok in Thailand for distribution in Kerala, especially in the film and tourism sectors with the help of his wife. Sultan, who poses as an electronic gadget dealer had conducted multiple foreign trips, including to Malaysia and Singapore in recent times, some of which were undertaken with duplicate passports. Authorities believe he used the trips to smuggle gold and hybrid ganja into India. Excise department officials also indicated that the preliminary probe had also pointed to Sultan's involvement in 'hawala dealings'. Thasleema, known for her minor roles in films and connections within the Malayalam film industry, has reportedly been involved in drug and sex trafficking, as well as racketeering, for some time – allegedly supplying drugs to 'high-end clients'. 'Thasleema and her husband are involved in multiple illegal activities such as gold smuggling, operating a sex racket and ganja trade. The interrogation of the accused is ongoing. We are investigating their connections, including links to people in the film industry,' said an Excise official. The official said call and message details retrieved from Thasleema's mobile phone had 'established' her links with a couple of Malayalam film stars. 'We are in the process of corroborating the evidence and determining whether anyone else can be named as an accused in the case. It is highly likely that film stars with connections to Thasleema will be summoned for questioning,' the official added. A few years ago, Thasleema was arrested in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case registered at a police station in Ernakulam. The case involves the sexual abuse of a girl after administering drugs. She also spent a few days in jail in connection with a gold smuggling case. Meanwhile, an 'intimation' submitted by Excise sleuths probing the ganja case to top officials has suggested handing over the investigation into hawala and gold smuggling to Central agencies. 'Our assumption is that he used foreign trips to smuggle gold and hybrid ganja to India. The preliminary investigation has revealed that he carried out large money transfers. We have sent an intimation to higher authorities suggesting that gold smuggling and money transfer investigations be handed over to Central agencies, while the hybrid ganja case should continue to be probed by the Excise department,' said an Excise official. Feroze is believed to have been responsible for supplying the drugs to people in the tourism sector in Alappuzha.
