Rishiraj Singh. Onmanorama/File photoKochi: Ever wondered why the excise officers are forever sniffing at the heels of tipplers carrying an extra liter of booze, instead of going after the big guns who smuggle in liquor by the truckload? The excise chief seems to be thinking the same.
Excise commissioner Rishi Raj Singh has sent a WhatsApp message to the deputy commissioners to focus on big offenses rather than filing petty cases against people who are found to be in possession of some extra quantity of alcohol than permitted or revelers who party in public places.
Each excise range has been told to file at least a major case a day. Petty cases involving tipplers do not count anymore when enforcement targets are set.
People caught carrying more alcohol than legally permitted or drinking in public places can be fined Rs 5,000 under the Abkari Act. Possession of large quantities of alcohol is an offense under section 13 of the Act. However, if the excise sleuths are convinced that the offender had stored the alcohol for unauthorized sale, they may charge him under section 55(I) and deny him bail.
A person is not allowed to carry more than three liters of Indian-made foreign liquor or more than a case of beer. The permissible limit for toddy is 1.5 liters.
Excise officers say they have to keep a track of these minor offenses because they are inundated with complaints of unauthorized sale of alcohol and drinking in public places. These issues are frequent irritants in the people’s vigil committees in which local excise officers are members.
More people are trying to make easy money from storing and selling liquor to cash in on a shortage of watering holes in the vicinity, they say.
The excise commissioner, however, thinks that the officers are finding an easy route to meet enforcement targets by filing as many petty cases as possible. He has even sought an explanation from the officers who kept on piling on the petty cases after the order was issued, sources said.
