Idea of selling seized liquor

Free Thinker *

Seized Liquor destroyed at Thoubal on August 19 2018 :: Pix - IT News

Long ago nobody knows how long ago, I gave a terrific idea of selling the seized liquor at attractive prices in the nonprohibited areas or export to the neighbouring countries in order to earn some revenue for the State. That time nobody bothered to pickup the idea.

Today the Delhi government is planning to sell the seized liquor to the public at discounted rates. It is reported that around 1.5 lac bottles of foreign and Indian-made liquor are seized every year in the national capital for skipping the mandatory excise duty.

Normally the seized bottles are destroyed in front of the competent authorities. Delhi Excise department started thinking that selling the seized liquor could be a good revenue earning for the government. It is also reported that last year liquor worth 15 crores of rupees was seized and pulverized.

The evasion of stamp duty incurs a huge loss to the State revenue. In order to redeem the loss the Delhi Excise department launches the idea of selling the seized liquor. Only the foreign liquor and Indian-made foreign liquor will be put up for sale excluding the country liquor.

For this genteel purpose the excise department has set up a committee to draw up plans regarding the sale of the seized liquor. The work of the panel includes to find ways and means to sell the bottles. The existing laws do not prohibit the sale of the seized liquors. The committee will bring out plans and procedures for the implementation of this lucrative proposal.

How and where to store the seized bottles , gallons and barrels , how to distribute and where to sell , which authority will handle and monitor etc., will be worked out accordingly. I believe the prices of such seized bottles must be made awfully attractive so that drinkers are happy with the dispensation.

In fact the excise duty on drinks and tobacco is exorbitantly high in this country of Soma and Shiva. Somewhere down the line we must do something for the drinkers and smokers and chewers. They are also the citizens of this great country, exploiting and harassing them budget after budget is discriminatory.

One lady officer who was in-charge of the anti-narcotic( anti-booze) cell told me that we must continue with the prohibition because our people don’t know how to drink and how much to drink? I told her that prohibition have failed everywhere.

Just look at the latest dry state, they have the most stringent prohibition law in the country. But the ground report says people are still drinking, though the number has come down marginally ; and the drinkers are paying a hefty price on every drink. The border villages have become great hubs of boozing and liquor mafia.

Perhaps the concerned authorities are also involved in this extremely profitable business. Delhi Excise department selling liquor at a very reasonable rate is welcome. It is indeed a democratic step in the right direction to give some relief to the regular drinkers.

This is a good news for daily boozers that the excise department will soon start selling liquor at prices much cheaper than the market rates. I strongly belief that all the States in the country should follow suite. This will certainly serve two purposes first the states will earn a good amount of revenue, second this will give some relief to the regular drinkers .

A difference of 50/100 rupees per bottle will bring tears of happiness to the consumers. When I saw police and excise authorities destroying beer bottles, liquor bottles and gallons of local brew I felt sad because we are wasting the revenue. Instead we could have sold the precious liquid to the surrounding wet zones.

Hundreds of thousands of bottles were destroyed by our authorities just before and after the elections particularly in the valley districts. What a waste ! In the hills both people and authorities know the value and that is why there is hardly any destruction or pilferages.

I really don’t know whether prohibition has lifted in the hills of Manipur. If so, it is great . Once again I pray to those prohibitionists and authorities who believe in the virtues of Dry-ness to see the progress made by the Wet- states and union territories.

Look at Delhi, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Goa etc. In the name of illusive good health and morality we are losing huge revenue and a commercial bonanza of our amazing brew. Despite prohibition the drinking demography is also growing fast in the State.

Is there any logical explanation for this? Last but not the least, let us not destroy the seized liquor; instead lets sell them wherever saleable(marketable) and earn some revenue. Lifting prohibition is not going to be easy for us because the lobby of vested interest particularly of the black-marketeers are too strong to counter.

Common people like me are really grateful to the BJP led government for introducing the extremely affordable generic medicines throughout the country. Likewise if we can get generic rum, scotches and whiskies at wonderfully reasonable prices the drinking masses will always remain ecstatic and loyal.