In a novel initiative, the excise department of the Gautambuddha Nagar district, popularly known as NOIDA, has begun sensitising people, especially vehicle owners against bringing liquor from other States into the district limits as the same is a punishable offence.

The notice is being distributed in the form of pamphlets by the traffic police while checking vehicles at the entry points.

The notice in Hindi translates into “it is to inform the general public that entering Uttar Pradesh with liquor (procured) from other States is a punishable offence. For this offence, offending persons will be booked under the relevant Sections of the Uttar Pradesh Excise Act and sent to jail”.

The move comes as Delhi has allowed liquor vendors to offer attractive discounts on liquor. In Delhi, liquor vendors are offering buy one get one offers on most varieties of popular whiskeys. This has led to massive smuggling of liquor, denting the revenue collection of Uttar Pradesh Government.

Similar discounts are also available in neighbouring Haryana. In September 2017, the Uttar Pradesh Government had made an amendment to the UP Excise Act, 1910 to bring down the import of liquor from other States.

The amended law makes it a non-bailable offence to carry along more than one sealed bottle of liquor from neighbouring States and carries a maximum punishment of five years in jail along with a fine of Rs 5,000 or 10 times the revenue the State would have lost from the bottle, whichever is higher.

Under the applicable excise law, a person is allowed to carry a single unit unsealed bottle procured from other States at a time into UP.