Excise BSO raids Nikaweratiya Hotel selling booze on Nikini Poya

A star class tourist hotel in Nikaweratiya selling alcoholic beverages on Nikini Full Moon Poya Day was raided by Excise Department officials and was sealed off with immediate effect.

Officials of the Excise Bureau of Special Operations (BSO) had made this detection on Wednesday evening on public information. Excise officers had used a decoy who had successfully purchased a bottle of Arrack from the manager of the hotel.

Excise Media Spokesman Deputy Commissioner Kapila Kumarasinghe told the Daily Mirror yesterday the hotel concerned had a three star class rating and was issued with two Excise Licenses, namely F.L. 7 and F.L. 8 under the ‘Tourist Board Approved’ category to sell liquor for consumption on the premises.

In Sri Lanka, not only under the Excise Ordinance, No. 8 of 1912 but also under the Holidays Act, No. 29 of 1971, no person shall on any Full Moon Poya Day carry out any selling of liquor nor keep open for business a restaurant, toddy tavern, foreign liquor shop, liquor bar or any other premises where any liquor is kept for sale .

At the beginning of every calendar year the Excise Department of Sri Lanka (EDSL) publishes by way of a circular the days on which all liquor shops licensed for retail sale of liquor are to be kept closed. Further, these days are published in the website of the Department.

The sleuths had sealed off the hotel with immediate effect on the instructions of Excise Commissioner General and stern action will be taken against the licensee of the hotel in due course.

The investigations are being carried out by OIC Excise BSO Chief Inspector P N Hemantha on the instructions of Excise Superintendent BSO Channa Weerakkody.

The hotel concerned had a three star class rating and was issued with two Excise Licenses, namely F.L. 7 and F.L. 8 under the ‘Tourist Board Approved’ category to sell liquor for consumption on the premises