The positive result of the excise department on its toes has been reflected on the ground with the liquor vendors being found selling beer and the like at the price fixed as per maximum retail price (MRP) instead of fleecing the buyers as they were earlier habituated to do.
Notably, the excise commissioner Yugal Kishor Pant while checking the price of Beer being sold from a Rajpur Road -based shop slapped a fine of around `35, 000— one per cent of the license fee- after the shop-owner was caught taking higher than MRP rate for Beer on Tuesday.
The action followed after The Pioneer had made an exclusive report published in its March 23 edition, focusing on the licensed liquor outlets across the district selling Beer at rates much higher than MRP.
Joint commissioner TC Pant said that inspectors and senior excise officers conduct surprise inspection once they receive complaints regarding the same.
A total of 3500 challans had been slapped on liquor shop owners since April 1, 2016 to January 31 this year, he said, adding that around `85 lakh had been collected by way of penalties from the shop-owners for violating the guidelines.
In Derhadun too, around 521 challans were slapped and around `37.61 lakh was collected in the form of penalty, he said.
“The license fees varying from one liquor trader to another, we charge penalty on the errant traders to the tune of one per cent of the license fee. likewise, if they prove to be repeat offenders they are slapped with penalty amounting to two percent of the license fee,” Pant said.