The Excise Department is looking at an overhaul with many vacancies created by the suspension of officials and repatriation of police personnel deputed there. An order issued by the Excise Department had also repatriated 39 Delhi Police personnel attached with the department for enforcement purposes. The personnel were working with the department and its Intelligence branch for a long time. The repatriated police personnel included seven sub inspectors and several Head Constables and Constables. Sources said that posting in the department is considered lucrative. "The government must probe the tenure of Delhi police personnel deputed in the excise department," sources added.
Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena had last week suspended 11 officials of the department, including the excise commissioner, deputy commissioner and three assistant commissioners, after an inquiry by the vigilance directorate into alleged irregularities related to the implementation of the AAP government's excise policy.
The development has created vacancies of officers as well as office staff at the department, especially at a time when the department is tasked with the job to issue licenses for opening of 500 liquor stores by four Delhi government undertakings (DTTDC, DSIIDC, DCCWS and DSCSC) from September 1. The excise department has also been strengthening secretarial staff to help the committee formed to prepare the fresh excise regime. Meanwhile,four corporations have started applying for liquor permits so that they can open retail stores by September 1.
“The applications for L-6 vends are being accepted and will be screened,” an official said, without specifying the number of applications the excise department has received. L-6 is a licence given to a retail store run by a government corporation in Delhi.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government has withdrawn the Excise Policy 2021-22, and is going back to the old one that was operational before November 17, 2021.Meanwhile, new excise commissioner K M Uppu and an assistant commissioner recently took charge at the department.
An official of the department said more officers and staff members will join the team in coming days. A delegation of the Delhi government's SC/ST/OBC Employees Confederation met L-G Saxena and welcomed the scrapping of the excise policy.
"The delegation including employees of DTTDC, DSIIDC, DCCWS and DSCSC- that will run liquor stores in the city from September 1, expressed confidence that reverting to the old policy would ensure financial sustainability of these organizations and thousands of employees," the L-G office said in a tweet.