To ensure that voters are not lured by free liquor given away by political parties in the garb of Diwali gifts, Delhi Election Commission and the excise department will keep a strict vigil on the sale of liquor in the city in the run up to the Assembly elections on Dec. 4.
According to EC officials, towards that end, CCTV cameras have been installed at all 705 liquor vendors in the city, both public and private.
Excise department officials will submit video footage every alternate day to EC, while flying squads of poll officials will daily scan 500 minutes of footage (selected randomly) to check for any unusual activity.
Moreover, EC will ensure that each vendor and warehouse is covered by flying squads at least once every two days.
As many as 11 excise teams with flying squads will carry out random checks to ensure strict compliance.
A meeting of excise officials and Delhi EC flying squad officials was held today which decided that officials from the excise department and the flying squads would team up with police personnel deputed at 90 interstate check-posts to keep a tab on liquor supply from neighbouring states.
Officials will conduct checks at liquor stores and compare present sales figures with last year's data in order to detect any abnormal increase. A report on the same would be submitted with district election officers on a daily basis.
"Unusual rise in sales at any liquor shop will draw the attention of excise officials and EC flying squads and punitive action will follow if it is found that (the increased sales) are linked to propaganda by political parties," said Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer, Vijay Dev.
"An increase of 8 to 10 per cent in sales is normal during the festival season, but any increase more substantial than that will be considered abnormal and action will be taken," added Dev.
EC will also ensure that election related dry days are not only observed in the poll-bound states but in bordering states as well.
Meanwhile, to discuss various issues related to the conduct of polls, a coordination meeting of all five Assembly election bound states and their neighbours has been scheduled tomorrow by EC.
The chief secretaries of all these states, along with their Directors General of Polices and Chief Electoral Officers will attend the meeting to discuss the election related matters, said an official.
