Delhi authorities scraps liquor coverage after a number of probes

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The AAP authorities in Delhi on Friday scrapped its New Excise Policy 2021-22 following a number of enquiries, together with these by the CBI and Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police, into expenses of “undue financial favours to liquor licensees” and different “major decisions/actions in violation of statutory provisions, that had huge financial implications.”

The previous liquor coverage is prone to be again in pressure from August 1, 2022, sources mentioned.

TNIE was the primary to report that town authorities’s liquor coverage “extended wrongful gains and favours to liquor wholesalers in Delhi, at the cost of state’s revenue.”

In a letter marked “Topmost Priority” to the state’s excise commissioner Krishna Mohan Uppu, Delhi Finance Secretary Ashish Chandra Verma on Friday mentioned, “Reference is invited to the directions of Hon’ble Dy CM dated 28.07.2022 vide which it has, inter alia, been directed to revert to the old regime of excise policy for a period of six months till a fresh Excise Policy is in place.”

The letter additional mentioned, “Considering that the timelines are very short, you, while taking other necessary actions in the matter, may coordinate immediately with the heads of the DSIIDC, DTTDC, DCCWS, DSCSC to get the following information prepared latest by end of today (i.e., 29.09.2022) in the following format separately for all such four organisations.”

The data sought from the excise commissioner consists of the title of the previous vend and its location, employees deployed within the earlier regime, whether or not the premises the place the vend was situated had been rented or owned by the general public sector enterprise, and whether or not the premises had been nonetheless vacant or occupied. Copies of the finance minister’s letter have additionally been despatched to the heads of the 4 Delhi authorities PSUs which had been earlier engaged in working the liquor vends.

The Delhi authorities had carried out a brand new excise coverage on November 15, 2021 whereby the above-mentioned 4 PSUs had been withdrawn from the liquor enterprise and the whole liquor commerce was handed over to the non-public sector. The authorities order at present directs the excise commissioner to convey again the state PSUs into the liquor enterprise.

Sources mentioned the brand new liquor coverage has been scrapped to stonewall investigations and forestall motion in opposition to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia who was the pinnacle of the group of ministers that drafted the brand new excise coverage.

The state authorities’s new excise coverage generated protests by retailers. As many as 10 zonal retailers out of the full of 32 zones both surrendered or refused to resume their licenses accusing the federal government of favouring wholesalers. The authorities allegedly violated the coverage on a number of counts resulting in Delhi lieutenant governor V Okay Saxena ordering a CBI probe.

NEW DELHI: The AAP authorities in Delhi on Friday scrapped its New Excise Policy 2021-22 following a number of enquiries, together with these by the CBI and Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police, into expenses of “undue financial favours to liquor licensees” and different “major decisions/actions in violation of statutory provisions, that had huge financial implications.”

The previous liquor coverage is prone to be again in pressure from August 1, 2022, sources mentioned.

TNIE was the primary to report that town authorities’s liquor coverage “extended wrongful gains and favours to liquor wholesalers in Delhi, at the cost of state’s revenue.”

In a letter marked “Topmost Priority” to the state’s excise commissioner Krishna Mohan Uppu, Delhi Finance Secretary Ashish Chandra Verma on Friday mentioned, “Reference is invited to the directions of Hon’ble Dy CM dated 28.07.2022 vide which it has, inter alia, been directed to revert to the old regime of excise policy for a period of six months till a fresh Excise Policy is in place.”

The letter additional mentioned, “Considering that the timelines are very short, you, while taking other necessary actions in the matter, may coordinate immediately with the heads of the DSIIDC, DTTDC, DCCWS, DSCSC to get the following information prepared latest by end of today (i.e., 29.09.2022) in the following format separately for all such four organisations.”

The data sought from the excise commissioner consists of the title of the previous vend and its location, employees deployed within the earlier regime, whether or not the premises the place the vend was situated had been rented or owned by the general public sector enterprise, and whether or not the premises had been nonetheless vacant or occupied. Copies of the finance minister’s letter have additionally been despatched to the heads of the 4 Delhi authorities PSUs which had been earlier engaged in working the liquor vends.

The Delhi authorities had carried out a brand new excise coverage on November 15, 2021 whereby the above-mentioned 4 PSUs had been withdrawn from the liquor enterprise and the whole liquor commerce was handed over to the non-public sector. The authorities order at present directs the excise commissioner to convey again the state PSUs into the liquor enterprise.

Sources mentioned the brand new liquor coverage has been scrapped to stonewall investigations and forestall motion in opposition to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia who was the pinnacle of the group of ministers that drafted the brand new excise coverage.

The state authorities’s new excise coverage generated protests by retailers. As many as 10 zonal retailers out of the full of 32 zones both surrendered or refused to resume their licenses accusing the federal government of favouring wholesalers. The authorities allegedly violated the coverage on a number of counts resulting in Delhi lieutenant governor V Okay Saxena ordering a CBI probe.