In spirited war with excise chief, CPM unit carries out illegal checks
The toddy brought from Chittoor was inspected at Cherthala excise range office by personnel who do not work in the office there.
The toddy brought from Chittoor was inspected at Cherthala excise range office by personnel who do not work in the office there.
The toddy brought from Chittoor was inspected at Cherthala excise range office by personnel who do not work in the office there.
In protest against the transfer of excise officers from Alappuzha, the leaders of the CPM-leaning staff association of excise officers are carrying out illegal toddy checks.
The toddy brought from Chittoor was inspected at Cherthala excise range office by personnel who do not work in the office there. The photographs of officers in civil clothes inspecting the toddy are being shared on WhatsApp groups. The footnote say that the visuals are that of inspections carried out under the leadership of the association's Alappuzha district committee.
Neither the Cherthala excise range inspector nor the personnel from the office who are responsible for carrying out such inspection are present in the group. Instead, the group consists of Cherthala circle office and two other offices. They are seen measuring the quantity of toddy using dipsticks.
The incident took place two weeks ago. The excise commissioner had issued a circular last month asking officers to use dipsticks to measure the quantity of toddy ferried across the state.
Besides, the commissioner had also transferred Mavelikkara circle office preventive officer V Rameshan, civil excise officer R Suresh to Kasaragod and Wayanad districts for not measuring toddy accurately. The commissioner's squad had found that the quantity of toddy brought under permit from Palakkad reduces by the time they reach toddy shops.
The discrepancy was detected after the toddy that was measured by the Mavelikkara excise office was measured again before it was unloaded at toddy shop. However, the officers are wondering how to measure the quantity of toddy using dipsticks in the absence of a proper device.
The transfer also enraged the association. The association exhorted its members to protest strongly through a post in its WhatsApp group. It has also threatened to boycott the state sports and cultural festival to be held at Kozhikode.
Commissioner's order
The commissioner's order says that a clean ruler or a dipstick that is slightly longer than the barrel should be used to measure toddy. The toddy in each barrel should be measured. Using this measurement, the officers need to gauge the amount of toddy that the barrel is holding. Since the toddy can foam, a deviation of up to five litres is allowed. Those who refuse to carry out the measurements will have to face action.