Excise Department is carrying out stock auditing to detect discrepancies in Telangana

Hyderabad: Fed up with the increasing number of cases related to illegal liquor sale when the lockdown is in effect, the Prohibition and Excise Department is carrying out stock auditing to detect discrepancies committed by wine shop owners.

Several instances of illegal sale of liquor and consumption have come to the notice of the department since enforcement of the lockdown. The police also booked cases against wine shop workers for attempting to collect stock from the shop and sell it to persons known to them.

To ensure that the shop owners comply with the lockdown regulations, the department has already started auditing of stock maintained by each shopkeeper since March 22, Excise Director Sarfaraz Ahmad said.

If any shopkeeper says he has sold more stock a day before the enforcement of lockdown, the department will take the average stock sold during normal days and calculate it with the existing stock to find out if there was any illegal sale.

“If we find any discrepancies in the stock, we will take necessary action under the provisions of the Excise Act,” Ahmad said, adding that around 16 cases have been booked against wine shop owners across the State since March 22 for violating norms.

A few days ago, the city police arrested two persons, including a wine shop worker, on charges of attempting to collect beer and liquor bottles in a large quantity from a shop on Road No. 12 in Banjara Hills.

As and when they get information about illegal sale of liquor, both the police and excise teams were cracking the whip on those involved in it. The Excise Department has so far booked 675 cases pertaining to illegal sale and consumption of liquor apart from for violating the lockdown restrictions.

https://telanganatoday.com/excise-officials-go-tough-on-liquor-shops-in-telangana