BHUBANESWAR: The state government has decided to set up excise stations in different parts of Odisha for intensifying enforcement activities and improving operations of the department.
A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by chief secretary AP Padhi where he reviewed the activities of the department. Inspectors and sub-inspectors will be in-charge of these stations.
Official sources said 66 projects have been taken up for the construction of offices with hazat and malkhana, out of which 52 have been completed and rest are in different stages of completion. Funds have also been provided for construction of additional 15 offices with hazat and malkhana.
The department complied with the directive of the Supreme Court on relocation of liquor shops within 500 meters from the national and state highways leading to the closure of 1240 outlets. Out of the closed shops, 810 were shifted and reopened as per the apex court order.
Revenue collection, however, looked up despite expectations to the contrary due to the adverse conditions.
Collection up to June, 2017 of the current financial year crossed Rs 670 crore against Rs 659 crore during the corresponding period in the last fiscal.
Besides, 21,277 cases were detected and 17,784 persons arrested in this connection. The seized articles included 2,49,090 litres of ID liquor, 9,860 litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), 8,537 litres of beer, 13,43,056 litres of wash, 6786 kilograms of bhang, 11,423 quintals of mahua flower, 732 litres of spirit, 13,576 kilograms of ganja, 787 kilograms of brown sugar and 68,09,819 hemp plants. It was decided to fill up the vacant posts and intensify the enforcement activities during the current year.
It was decided Information Technology (IT) will be applied in excise adhesive labels and tracking sale of genuine liquor in authorized shops. Besides, bar-coding techniques will also be developed to ensure the sale of genuine bottles at the counters. Similarly, a trace and track mechanism will be put in place connecting Odisha State Beverages Corporation Limited with the genuine counters. This would help in catching the real sale position at the counters while ensuring the sale of the genuine products.