Nahan/Shimla: Tightening noose on the illegal liquor trade, the State Taxes and Excise Department on Friday unearthed a scam of supplying spirit in Kangra district under the guise of sanitisers from a pharmaceutical company at Kala Amb in Sirmour district.
Commissioner, State Taxes and Excise Yunus revealed that the department had conducted inspections at Dutch Formulation Kala Amb and its sister concern Danish Lab, Ambala and found both firms had supplied seven consignments of hand sanitisers to CMO Dharamshala and Rajiv Gandhi Ayush Medical College Paprola.
Investigation revealed that hand sanitisers were neither ordered by the CMO Dharamsala and Medical College Paprola nor they received any such consignment as well, Yunus confirmed and further added
“The total illegal supply is Rs 58.50 lakh, from which about one lakh bulk litres of spirit could be purchased and about 37 to 40 thousand boxes of wine could be produced.”
The excise department conducted these searches after finding leads from irregularities of e-way bills in Goverdhan Bottling Plant in district Mandi. To investigate the case, the Excise dept constituted a team under Joint Commissioner of State Taxes and Excise Ujjwal Rana. Besides finding irregularities in the sale and purchase of stock, the team found that the company was operating without a licence from Drug Authority.
Excise Department has registered an FIR and also initiated further action against the firm.
Following the Mandi Liquor tragedy, the state excise and taxation department has tightened the noose on the illegal liquor trade. During the inspection in Kangra and Mandi districts, the excise department had recovered huge caches of illegal liquor and investigating the source of spirit.
