Rampant smuggling from Haryana hitting booze biz hard in Bathinda

THE DIFFERENCE IN LIQUOR RATE IN HARYANA AND PUNJAB IS THE REASON BEHIND THE ILLICIT ACTIVITY

BATHINDA: Smuggling of cheaper liquor from neighbouring Haryana into the district has become a cause of concern for the district police as well as local liquor traders and distilleries whose revenues have been hit hard.

The district has a porous boder with the state and the majority of the smuggled liquor is countrymade.

As per Bathinda-based liquor traders, the gap in liquor price in Haryana and Punjab is the main reason behind the unabated smuggling.

One box (12 bottles) of countrymade liquor is available at ₹700 in Haryana while the same box sells between ₹1800 and ₹2,000 in Bathinda. The smuggled liquor at sold between ₹1,200 and ₹1,500 per box.

Bathinda assistant excise and taxation commissioner RK Malhotra said smuggling from Haryana hits the state’s revenue as additional liquor, apart from the assigned quota, will be purchased from distilleries, if smuggling stops.

He said that due to the porous border with Haryana, it becomes tough to check the menace.

Over the past three fiscal years from 2017-18, the number of bottles of smuggled liquor has risen from around 1 lakh to around 1.7 lakh (by March 31 this year, projected figure); this is a rise of 70%.

In 2018-19, the figure was 1.5 lakh bottles and around 1.4 lakh bottles have been seized till January 31 this year.

Compared to 1,307 First Information Reports (FIR) registered in 2017-18, 1,042 FIRs were registered in 2018-19. In the current financial year as many 924 FIRs have been registered till January-end.

“If the state government stops liquor smuggling from Haryana, it will ensure that there is sale of liquor manufactured in distilleries in Punjab as well. It will be apart from the quota of liquor fixed every year for traders to be lifted. Big smugglers have political links, which deters the administration from cracking down against them,” said a liquor trader on condition of anonymity.

The draw of lots will not be held in the district this year as existing traders have applied for renewal of their licenses.

As per the excise policy, traders will have to deposit 12% extra, the above Minimum Guaranteed Revenue of ₹217 crore of this fiscal, which means that state will earn total revenue of ₹243 crore in 2019-20.