Bhubaneswar: To ensure strict enforcement in the aftermath of the Ganjam hooch tragedy, the Excise Department has decided to open 25 new excise stations in Odisha.
“For effective enforcement and to make excise administration more efficient by strengthening the enforcement activities under excise and other relevant acts and to counter excise-related problems like cross border infiltration of liquor, illegal transport, storage, sale and illicit distillation of liquor/other NDPS items and to check hooch tragedy in the state, a proposal to open 25 new excise station will be submitted to the government,” Joint Excise Commissioner Somanath Majhi said in a letter to Superintendent of Excise of 16 districts.
The Superintendents of Excise concerned have been asked to examine the feasibility for opening of new excise station based on geographical size of the existing one, inaccessibility of the far-flung areas, vulnerability to ID liquor distillation and supply from neighbouring district/state, vacuum area within the present excise station area, number of cases detected, number of accused arrested, quantity of seizure of ID liquor, number of ID pockets busted during last financial years 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24.
A crucial meeting has been convened on September 4 to chalk out further strategy.
In Ganjam hooch tragedy, which has so far claimed 3 lives, police suspect a link with illicit liquor supplied to rural areas of Andhra Pradesh and the traders are now believed to be hiding in the neighbouring state.
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