Liquor adulteration to attract NSA

| | Lucknow
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Liquor adulteration to attract NSA

Tuesday, 16 July 2019 | PNS | Lucknow

Beware bootleggers and those overcharging for the liquor they sell, the Uttar Pradesh government has approved several stringent steps to punish the guilty, including booking them under National Security Act (NSA) and Gangster Act for adulteration of liquor.

The government has proposed hefty fine, even cancellation of licence, if a liquor trader is found realising more than the MRP from the retail customers.

These steps were approved under the Excise Policy 2019-20 by the state government at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on Monday.

Briefing media persons, Principal Secretary (Excise) Sanjay Bhoosreddy said the government had made stringent law for punishing the guilty, including retailers and wholesalers, in the liquor adulteration case.

Earlier, for adulteration of liquor, there was a nominal fine of Rs 40,000 for the first offence, Rs 50,000 for the second offence and cancellation of licence of the vendor of the third offence. 

“Under the new law, licence will be cancelled in the first instance and a case will be registered under sections 272, 273 and 304 of the Indian Penal Code against the guilty person. The Excise department will even register cases under NSA and Gangster Act,” Bhoosreddy said.

The government has taken a serious note of retail shops charging more from the consumer than the MRP printed on the liquor bottle.

“We have increased the fine for the first time offence from Rs 10,000 to Rs 75,000, for second time offence from Rs 20,000 to Rs 1,50,000 and for the third time offence from Rs 30,000 to cancellation of the licence,” Bhoosreddey said, adding that both the retail and whole dealers would be covered under this clause.

He also announced that very soon a toll-free number would be published on which a customer could complain about overcharging by the shops.

In another decision, the government has allowed mono-carton of foreign made liquor brands of more than Rs 4,000 per bottle. Earlier, the retail shops and bars were facing difficulty in making purchase of a carton of such big brand liquors.

The government has also reduced the limitation of keeping a 500-litre cask for draught beer in a bar. Now they can been casks of 20, 30 and 50 litres. Besides, the government has allowed security money to be deposited in FDR or through e-payment when earlier it only NSCs had to be submitted.

The government has also amended the rules for penalty for the supply of liquor by the distilleries as per the demand of the wholesalers.

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