UP to seek Haryana's help in curbing liquor smuggling

Retail price in UP probably the highest in India due to high licence fee, etc

Uttar Pradesh would seek the Haryana government's help in curbing liquor smuggling that robs the state of excise duty by almost 20 per cent.

In this regard, the UP government would soon hold a meeting with senior government officials from Haryana to firm up mechanism for information sharing and co-ordination.

The state government would not only identify elements involved in such activities, but also keep them under sustained surveillance. The probable spots of illicit liquor trade would be listed for swoop down by police and excise department and FIRs lodged in such cases.

UP would also spruce up its intelligence network, while the excise department, in consultation with the justice department, would issue guidelines for effective legal remedies against inter-state liquor bootlegging and smuggling.

In a recent meeting, UP chief secretary Jawed Usmani warned officials of stern action if liquor smuggling from Haryana continued unabated.

Smuggling of liquor from Haryana is rampant in UP, especially in the western region, due to the vast price differential. The retail price of liquor in UP is probably the highest in India due to high license fee, excise duty, etc.

The extent of the menace can be gauged from the fact that Usmani had to last year direct officials to deal with this phenomenon and identify department officials colluding with illicit liquor manufacturers and smugglers.

According to the state excise department, during 2011-12, UP had recorded consolidated sales of over 122 million bottles of foreign liquor, while almost 3,00,000 bottles were impounded during interstate smuggling. This put liquor smuggling ratio at 0.24 per cent of the total sales.

Similarly during April-October 2012, 62 million bottles of foreign liquor were sold in UP, while 1,54,000 bottles were seized over smuggling, which pegged the smuggling ratio at roughly 0.25 per cent.

UP has set excise revenue target of Rs 12,084 crore for the current fiscal, up 20 per cent from the target of Rs 10,740 crore during 2012-13.