EXCISE WING TRANSFERS 240 OFFICERS

Even as investigations into the Tollywood drugs affair gets into high gear, with film stars, directors and others set to be interrogated over the next several days, transfer orders have been issued to some 240 Prohibition and Excise department staff. The government says it issued the orders based on the officials’ seniority, investigation skills, length of tenure in one place and a few transfer requests.

Those transferred include 20 superintendents of excise, 23 assistant superintendents, 115 circle inspectors in Zone-VI and 81 circle inspectors in Zone-V, apart from attaching the Warangal district prohibition officer to headquarters.

Both the Hyderabad and Secunderabad excise superintendents have been transferred. H. Datturaj Goud from Nalgonda and S. Srinivasa Rao from Suryapet will take charge in Secunderabad and Hyderabad respectively.

Similarly, department commissioner R.V. Chandravadan has shuffled all district superintendents and assistant superintendents.

“We focused on efficiency in investigation, surveillance and administration, and transferred officials to key places. Similarly, we transferred those who have been at a post for long. Besides these, we also considered a few transfer requests,” he said.

Officials expect that the latest round of transfers would strengthen the enforcement wing which has been suffering due to lack of manpower. As per the sanctioned posts, each district should have one excise superintendent for enforcement, but the wing does not have enough officers to post in even 10 districts. This will ensure that at least assistant superintendents are in place in every district.