To check smuggling of liquor from neighbouring States, the State excise department has decided to form a special mobile task force comprising excise officials at the district level. Such forces would be deployed in the areas of several districts which are seeing maximum volume of such smuggling, excise department sources said.
Notably, smuggling of several brands of liquors meant for sale in the neighbouring states to Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts of the State is rampant. Such liquors are being sold in Uttarakhand at lower rates, something that is resulting in the loss of revenue for the state. Taking note of this, the state excise department has directed the district excise officers to form mobile task forces. The field officials have been asked to keep vigil so as to stop smuggling of liquor from other states.
The timing of the formation of the mobile task force is significant as December and January see the maximum sale of liquor.
Statistics reveal that the number of arrest of the liquor smugglers by the enforcement agencies is rising. The volume of the seizures from them is also substantial, the state excise officers say, adding that some liquor mafias are engaging unemployed youth in smuggling liquor from the neighbouring states. District excise officer Manoj Upadhyay said that the task force would randomly check vehicles at various places to check smuggling of liquor in the district. The team members would be deployed on rotational basis to conduct the checking drives in the district, he added.