No target for vendors for increase of liquor sale in Assam: Excise official

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMay 11, 2024

There of no proposal of the Assam government for an increase of liquor sales in the state, clarified excise commissioner Jitu Doley reacting to the report that appeared in a section of the media that the state excise department has set a target for liquor vendors to increase the sale of liquor to earn revenue of Rs 4,000 crore this fiscal.

“It is a normal exercise. We usually ask the excise superintendent of each district to increase the sales. We also held.

Doley said, “Every department sets revenue targets and even the excise department does but for the officials.” 

“The excise department cannot force people to consume liquor and accordingly cannot set targets for the liquor shops. To check the sale of illegal spurious liquor, coming from other states like Arunachal Pradesh and so on, the superintendents have been asked to monitor the liquor vendors,” he said. 

“If a vendor is selling Rs 1 lakh in a particular month and Rs 50 in the next month, there may be chances that spurious liquor has entered that area,” Doley also said.

“There is some misunderstanding, but we assert that no target is set for any liquor vendors,” he added.   

Notably, the Excise Commissioner reviewed the status of the retail sale of liquor in the state in a video conferencing with the excise superintendent on May 6 in which it was revealed that all districts were showing negative retail lifting in April 2024 compared to April 2023 due to which the department asked the officials to make up the shortfall.

The meeting fixed the district-wise retail lifting position during the 2024-25 fiscal and directed all excise superintendents to set lifting targets for each retail vendor under their jurisdiction. The meeting also directed that the month-wise lifting targets set for the vendors be met and compiled.

The meeting also directed the districts to raise the arrear demand of all retailers and wholesalers and collect the arrear by May 31.

Talking to this correspondent, Kamrup (Metro) excise superintendent Debajit Nath said that he has not set any target for any liquor shops and it cannot happen.