HYDERABAD: Excise Minister V Srinivas Goud on Saturday minced no words while giving two options to pub owners — relocate to some other State or ensure that their establishments remain free from the menace of drugs.
“There is no space in Telangana for drugs; such acts won’t be tolerated in the State any longer. If you allow such activities to continue, your licence will be revoked,” the Minister told pub owners at a meeting held with them on Saturday at a city hotel.
Goud reminded them that the CM was emphatic that he wanted drugs-free Telangana.
Give pubs’ CCTV link to Excise cops, orders Min
“His orders are clear to deal strictly with people involved in such activities and trying to defame Hyderabad,” Goud said, instructing pub owners not to exceed the deadline to close for the day and to ensure there is no nuisance due to the establishments.
The Minister clarified that the owners should remember that pubs and bars are not the only source of revenue for the government. “We are allowing pubs and bars for the convenience of people from other regions, States and cultures. The
Government will support those who follow the rules and deal strictly with those who are found violating rules. Owners who ignore drug abuse in their establishment will be booked under the PD Act, no matter how well connected they are,” Goud said. He instructed pub owners to provide CCTV links to Excise officials so that they can monitor activities on their mobile phones.
The Minister instructed the Excise department and task force personnel to increase vigilance on pubs and conduct surprise checks frequently. The Minister also directed the Excise Commissioner to speak with e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart and instruct them not to provide narcotics in Telangana.
Providing details about the cases registered against NDPS offences, the Minister said that 304 people have been arrested in 192 cases and 592 bound over. He said that the 1,290 kg dry ganja, 65 ganja plants, 4.92 kg of hashish oil, 1.142 litres of hash oil, 636 grams weed oil, 70 ml weed oil; 11.759 grams cocaine, 1.002 grams MMDA, 211 MMDA pills, 35 LSD blots 0.37 grams charas, 1.15 kg raw alprazolam, 300 nitravit 10 mg tablets, one Oryi as well as nine mobile phones and `5,500 in cash seized in the last two months.