Maharashtra: Drones, vehicle scanners deployed to curb liquor smuggling

  • | Tuesday | 22nd May, 2018

Consumption of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and beer also dipped by 6.81% and 15.05% to end at 1,792.56 lakh BL and 2,759.68 lakh BL versus 1,923.56 lakh BL and 3,248.43 lakh BL. Wine sales were 62.50 lakh BL, a fall of 3.28% compared to 64.62 lakh BL in the previous year. The state excise department is taking its fight against liquor smuggling and illegally distilled liquor to the next level by deploying technology. In 2017-18, the state excise department achieved a collection of Rs 13,448 crore compared to the Rs 12,500 crore target. These are being examined," state excise commissioner Dr Ashwini Joshi told DNA.

The state excise department is taking its fight against liquor smuggling and illegally distilled liquor to the next level by deploying technology. Soon we will see drones, vehicle scanners and boats scouting water bodies. "We have received proposals (for deployment of drones) from some district superintendents. These are being examined," state excise commissioner Dr Ashwini Joshi told DNA. Apart from coastal areas like Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri, boats will be given to units in districts like Dhule, Nandurbar and Jalgaon, which have wide riverine systems. Excise check posts will get non-intrusive vehicle scanners on lines of airports and the process for seeking quotations is underway, Joshi added. A senior state excise official said in a meeting with state excise minister Chandrashekhar Bavankule, they had also sought that the department is given the authority to access call data records (CDRs) of those accused in liquor-related cases instead of depending on the police. "Drones and boats will ensure that we can scan and reach spots in riverine areas, creeks and pockets with dense mangroves that are used to distil hooch. These areas are otherwise not accessible by road," he said, adding that these measures would improve enforcement and increase the departments revenues. An official noted that drones and boats could be used in areas like Thane and Raigad near Mumbai where creeks were used to brew hooch. "Many a time, our staff finds it difficult to get boats on hire to reach these spots for action as the boat owners fear retribution by bootleggers. It has been our long-standing demand to purchase boats for the department though issues like their berthing and maintenance must be sorted out," he explained. The drones could be used for aerial surveys of inaccessible areas enabling the department to act on specific inputs about illegalities. In 2017-18, the state excise department achieved a collection of Rs 13,448 crore compared to the Rs 12,500 crore target. In the last (2017-18) fiscal year, sales of country liquor fell 4.02% to end at 3,126.09 lakh bulk litres (BL) compared to 3,256.99 BL in 2016-17. Consumption of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and beer also dipped by 6.81% and 15.05% to end at 1,792.56 lakh BL and 2,759.68 lakh BL versus 1,923.56 lakh BL and 3,248.43 lakh BL. Wine sales were 62.50 lakh BL, a fall of 3.28% compared to 64.62 lakh BL in the previous year. Maharashtra follows a policy of discouraging liquor consumption through high prices and low sales and has one of the highest excise duty regimes in India. With this and neighbouring state of Gujarat under prohibition, it has also become a transit point for transporting liquor from states like Haryana and Madhya Pradesh to the dry state.

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