Worried over dip in revenue from liquor selling along with unfavourable inputs given by the Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited (JSBCL) the Government is all set to go back to old practice existed for liquor trade in Jharkhand.
Top sources in the Excise and Prohibition Department and the Corporation told The Pioneer about the policy shift along with in-principal agreement given by Chief Minister Raghubar Das in that regard. It is most likely that the liquor sale would go to private hands positively from the next financial year.
“The matter came on several occasions before the Board of Directors the JSBCL for discussion. There was unanimity in the Board that this is not the job of the Government or the Corporation to directly sell the liquor in the State. Also, with time it was getting unmanageable since there was a third party involved with their own set of staffs. Keeping constant tab on the sale and resultant issues coming in have become a burden,” said an important functionary associated with the JSBCL.
It is learnt that after repeated opinions given supporting the departure from the existing mechanism the Chief Minister has also approved the proposal. “The CM has provided his in-principal agreement to the proposal to go back to the old system. It is with the Board of Revenue and after getting passed by the Department finally it would be placed before the Cabinet approval. Chances are that from the beginning of the financial year 2019-20 liquor sell would be handed over to private players through auctioning,” he elaborated.
Confirming this, Managing Director of JSBCL Bhor Singh Yadav said that right now new ways are being explored to attain different other goals. “It is true that decision has been taken to adopt previous method of liquor sale in the State. We are deliberating upon whatever value added decisions can be taken so that the trade is managed in better ways and prohibition is attained,” said he.
Sources in the Corporation are of the view that mismanaged system at present was causing revenue dent besides fueling the illegal trade. “Nearly Rs 500 crore of loss has been occurred. Though the sell is picking up this year in comparison to last year when the Government had decided to takeover but still lesser than what it was when private operators were in operation. We also found that it is becoming very difficult for the Corporation to manage the private manpower, who in many cases are reported to be indulged into black marketing of liquor. Larger opinion prevailed here is that the JSBCL is unable to concentrate on conducting the sell as well as prohibition properly,” he added.
He also questioned the very purpose of the exercise since inputs suggest that there has been no downward trend in liquor consumption that means the parallel elicit business is gaining from this controlled mechanism in place.
