IMFL dens raided, liquor seized

DIMAPUR, JUNE 17 (MExN): Excise personnel during a surprise raid on Monday, June 17 confiscated more than a thousand bottles of illicit IMFL in Dimapur. It was a joint raid conducted by the District, Narcotics and Mobile wings of the Excise. 

The liquor was recovered from twenty-nine shops, which are supposedly bottled water retail outlets. Surprisingly, thirteen of the defaulting establishments were running without obtaining trade permits, right under the nose of the municipal authority. In this regard, Commissioner of Excise, Maongwati Aier, said that the trade licences of the sixteen liquor dens were confiscated and forwarded to the Dimapur Municipal Council for necessary action, while the ones without trade permit will be locked down. Most of the people, who were caught manning the defaulting establishments, were from Rajasthan setting up businesses in Dimapur. 

Recently, the Excise had also seized the trade licences of three resto-lounges, which were caught catering illicit liquor. Their permits will also be forwarded to the Municipal authority, Aier added. The liquor, of assorted brands comprised 1307 bottles (and cans) in total. It was further stated the department will continue to carry out such raids without any notice.  

Meanwhile, Aier asserted that the Excise department, as the agency responsible for implementing the NLTP Act, is committed to enforce the Act. The Commissioner also lauded the effort put in by Diphupar village, Kuda village and Signal Basti to check sale of liquor in their respective areas. 

In a written statement, the Excise chief said that ever since the NLTP Act was introduced, the Excise department has been trying its best to enforce the Act. “However, the will of the government and people is required to make it more effective,” he said, while adding that catering liquor in public or government functions must be banned. 

He went on to add that since the past two years, the department with a meagre force of 264 personnel has been on the job notwithstanding the shortage in manpower. During the 12th Assembly elections alone, the department had seized liquor and drugs worth Rs. 50 lakhs and had penalised 362 defaulters. Similarly, during the last two years, the total of liquor seized was equivalent two truck-loads and on an average 200 persons are being arrested and penalised every three months, he added. Monetary penalty imposed on defaulters during 2012-13 was more than Rs. 24 lakhs. 

Furthermore, the department has been checking restaurants and lounges on a weekly basis, while more than 200 persons have been arrested from such establishments, alongwith confiscation of liquor and item menus, he said. A list of shops and restaurants involved in selling illicit liquor has also been forwarded to the Municipal authority for cancellation of trade permits, he added. “With regard to the Check Gates in all the districts of the state, police and the Excise will ensure that all the Check Gates are being tightened up and see that in no time of the day the gates are let loose.”