Excise Dept spells out its main duties, weaknesses
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 15 2016 : Implementing prohibition is the main activity of the Excise Department of Manipur, stated Dr Shailesh Kumar Chaurasia, Commissioner of Excise while addressing a press conference organized by the Department of Information & Public Relations at its office complex at Moirangkhom today.

The press conference is the 17th in the series of press conferences organized by DIPR to highlight the achie-vements of the various depart- ments of Government of Manipur.

Total prohibition was imposed in the State after the RK Ranbir Singh led United Front Government passed the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act, 1991.Promulgation of the Act came about following intense movement against drug and alcohol abuse and addiction spearheaded by the Meira paibis.

But despite the attempt of the Excise Department to implement the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act, Indian Made Foreign Liquor as well as local brew continues to be easily accessible to drinkers in the State with many illegal vendors operating openly in the heart of the city.

Reacting to this phenomenon, the Commissioner said there are many reasons for this, namely the high demand for liquor which leads to the efforts of Excise Department making very little dents in the liquor supply network.

If the department raids and compounds one vendor, another opens shop or the same person does so after some time.

This makes it very difficult for the Excise Department to deal with the mushrooming of illegal vendors selling IMFL or local brew due to lack of manpower, said Commissioner Chaurasia.

Dwelling further on the depleting strength of the department, the Commissioner said "Excise Department is an ageing department", thereby implying it is facing a slow death.

According to him, there are 704 sanctioned posts in the Excise Department but only 409 posts are in existence at the moment with 295 lying vacant.

Every month, 20 to 30 personnel retire from service and there has been no fresh recruitment, informed the Commissioner.

Excise Department was originally established in 1948 under the Council Resolution No 23 of the then Maharaja of Manipur.

Excise Department worked under the Eastern Bengal & Assam Excise Act 1910 as extended to Manipur till the coming into force of the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act in 1991.In case of narcotics and psychotropic substances, the department works under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substance Act, 1985 .

The Excise Department in the State is divided into three Excise circles and thirty nine Excise stations.

The department is headed by one Commissioner of Excise under whom there is one Superintendent of Excise, five Deputy Superintendents and other ministerial and field staff.

The main source of revenue collection for Excise Department is from the excise duty levied on the liquor procured and consumed by the military and paramilitary forces deployed in the State, informed the Commissioner.

The other sources of collection come in the form of compounding of IMFL or local liquor sold illegally.

For the financial year 2015-16, revenue from compounding was Rs 33.47 lakh while revenue from IMFL was Rs 966.02 lakh.

There has been much fluctuation in this figure of total collection from 2011-12 till date.

As a means to increase this revenue collection, the Commissioner informed that he had proposed increasing the excise duty levied on the liquor procured by the military and paramilitary forces deployed in the State.

Replying to a query on the instances of IMFL and drugs being brought in into the State despite the mandate to fully implement the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act 1991, the commissioner said clear instructions have been given to officials at ground level.

If there are instances of liquor and drugs being brought in to State, then this could have happened only with the connivance of officials tasked to stop these.

Some other reasons he cited was the extreme porous nature of the Indo-Myanmar border at Moreh as also the huge shortage of manpower of the department to plug the holes.

On the poppy cultivation being carried out in the State, Commissioner Chaurasia held that the department does not possess the wherewithal to deal with it considering the spread and remoteness of the area of poppy cultivation.

He further informed that though the Excise department has been part of the team which destroyed poppy cultivations in the State; such exercises were mainly the initiative of the police and paramilitary forces.

The Commissioner welcomed the idea of a contact number where meira paibis and local club members can call to inform of seizures of illicit liquors so that they can be compounded under provisions of the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act 1991, instead being destroyed then and there by various activists.

He further agreed with the need for closer interaction, cooperation and coordination with meira paibis and local clubs, organizations in fully enforcing prohibition in the State.

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