EC orders action against liquor smuggling in Arunachal, Goa Punjab, Haryana

TO ENSURE a level playing field, the EC has asked all DGPS to give “equal treatment to all the political parties” and also asked four states specifically — Punjab, Haryana, Goa and Arunachal Pradesh — to take appropriate action against liquor smuggling, The Indian Express has learnt.

The directions were given earlier this week at a Inter-state Border meeting chaired by CEC Rajiv Kumar and ECS Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, attended by the Chief Secretaries, Dgps, principal secretaries-home and excise of all the states/uts,t op officials of the defence forces, and central paramilitary forces.

A sources aide cw as unhappy with the action of 4 state police forces and their excise department concerned against liquor smuggling. “The issue was raised after it was found bye ct hat liquor meant for a run ac hal pradesh, was being used in Bihar, while liquor from Goa was being smuggled to some other state. They strictly asked all four statedgpsandt heir Excise Commissioners to take actionagainst liquor smuggling ,” the source said.

“In the meeting, thee cal so directed the officials to take action against arms suppliers and asked them to ‘deliver what is expected from them’... They also asked to emphasise on helipads especially those manned by local police and ensure equal treatment in security arrangements to all political leaders/parties,” the source said.

Before the meeting, thee chad sent a letter with their specific agenda points and asked them to send their inputs. “They were asked to share details of inter-state check points on both sides of border, including police, excise and forest check posts and status of checkpoints... Plan for sealing of entry points and porous interstate border to prevent‘ bogus voting’ ,issues related to international border that may impact the poll process in respective poll going states... ,” a source said.