Newmai News Network
Imphal | February 11
Manipur state Excise department on Tuesday destroyed liquor worth over Rs 45 lakh confiscated by the department during its drive to enforce Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act, 1991.
The liquor was confiscated during raids at different places of Imphal East and Imphal West and other parts of the state within the jurisdiction of Imphal circle of the department.
With the passing of the Liquor Prohibition Act in 1991, Manipur officially became a “dry state”, with an exemption granted to scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) communities to brew liquor for traditional purposes.
The Excise department was given the task to regulate and implement the prohibition.
The liquor destroyed at the complex of the department included 4849.29 litres of IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) worth around Rs 29,09,574, Rs 4891 litres of beer worth around Rs 14,67,540 and 1365 litres of country made liquor worth over Rs 1,36,614.
The total value of destroyed liquor was Rs 45,3,614. Personnel of the Excise department destroyed the liquor in the presence of its commissioner B John Thangtinkhuma, superintendent and other top officials of the department.
The department destroyed the confiscated liquor as the articles were in the store (Malkhana) of the department for a long time and were in the process of natural decay, leakage, faulty smell and making congestion of the store.
According to deputy superintendent of Excise, Th Imo, liquor in the store was confiscated during drives by the personnel of the department to enforce the prohibition from April 2019 till January 20, 2020.
During the period, the Imphal circle of the department registered as many as 3344 cases following the confiscation of the liquor and the department destroyed following an order of the commissioner.
The deputy superintendent said that before the enforcement of Liquor Prohibition Act in 1991 in the state, the department used to auction confiscated liquor and other excisable articles and help in generation of revenue to the state government.
However, since the enforcement of the liquor prohibition, the department has been destroying all the confiscated excisable articles from time to time through proper channel.
