Spl excise zone status to be done away with

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh is working on a new excise policy that will do away with ‘special excise zone’ status that the previous Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party governments extended to a slain liquor baron’s group.

Four teams have been set up at the excise department headquarters in Allahabad to suggest points that could be incorporated into the new policy.

The teams constituted for the purpose will carry out surveys in all districts of the state and submit their report to the excise commissioner. The proposal of the new policy will then be drafted and presented before the state cabinet. After clearance, it will be implemented from the financial year 2018-19. The new policy will focus on transparency in allotment of liquor shops. Barring a few cosmetic changes, the excise policy, despite coming in for much criticism from the state’s liquor lobby, has largely remained unchanged and tilted in favour of Chadha for more than eight years now. “We will provide a level playing field in UP. A special excise zone and special favours that used to be extended in the past will go,” UP’s excise minister Jai Pratap Singh told HT.

In 2009, the Mayawati government had given wholesale liquor distribution to Chadha group, making it the first such instance of an individual getting virtual control over the distribution business in the state.

In 2001, the then BJP government in UP had replaced the auction system that often resulted in clashes among bidders with the lottery system.

Additional excise commissioner (licensing) Ramsagar Tiwari said removal of shops from the highways has reduced the revenue and efforts will be made to make up in the new excise policy. About 3,000 liquor highway shop owners had surrendered their licenses after their attempts to relocate 500 metres inside highways, as ordered by the apex court, ran into stiff opposition from locals, especially women.

Bharatiya Janata Party lawmakers like Radha Mohan Das Agarwal from Gorakhpur have already met chief minister Yogi Adityanath demanding closure of liquor shops that don’t meet the norms. “We won’t allow any illegal business in the state. The new policy would usher in transparency,” the excise minister said.

We will provide a level playing field in UP. A special excise zone and special favours that used to be extended in the past will go JAI PRATAP SINGH, UP’s excise minister