Tourist hotel sealed for selling liquor on Vesak Poya Day

The hotel was raided on a complaint received from the general public and sealed on the orders of the Commissioner General of Excise

A tourist hotel at Pellandeniya in Kurunegala has been sealed by the Excise Department after excise officer found that liquor was sold at the hotel on Vesak Poya Day (18).

Media Spokesman of Excise Department Kapila Kumarasinghe said the tourist hotel which was operating under Excise Licence found to have sold liquor on Saturday (18) in a raid conducted by Excise Special Operations Bureau.

He said the hotel was raided on a complaint received from the general public and the hotel was sealed on the orders of the Commissioner General of Excise.

“This hotel is granted with two excise licences, F.L. 7 and F.L. 8 categories and have obtained Tourist Board Approval to operate as a Tourist Hotel,” the spokesman said.

Licence and employees of the hotel would be charged with selling liquor to general public in Vesak Poya Day and is subjected to a heavy penalty and the licences would be at risk to cancellation or suspension, Mr Kumarasinghe said.

This raid was conducted by the Excise Officers of the Excise Special Operations Bureau, Colombo as a part of their special island-wide operations initiative on the instructions of the Commissioner General of Excise and Law Enforcement Division of the Department.