Assam excise department starts special drive across state to detect illegal activities

A six member special team of Excise Intelligence Bureau (EIB) has started the drive in all three districts in Barak Valley from Aug 18.

“We have found such types of illegal activities including tax evasion cases in Cachar, Karimganj district. These activities run by some liquor baron with the help of some officials. We will continue the drive across the state,” a top official of EIB said.

Two excise officials Amarendra Nath and Pranjal Bora were recently arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Assam police in connection with the multi crore rupees BG Bonded Warehouse scam.

The CID team also arrested liquor mafia Rajesh Jalan, Bonti Gogoi Pegu (who granted bail by the Guwahati High Court) in connection with the tax evasion scam.

Meanwhile, Assam excise minister Parimal Suklabaidya said that, it is true that, illegal activities are still continued in the state and the department is trying to detect it.

“If any official of Excise department has found his involvement into the illegal activities, then the department to take stern action against him,” the Assam minister said.

Parimal Suklabaidya, who took charge of the excise department a year ago, further said that, to curb the huge smuggling of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from the neighbouring states like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya to Assam, the excise department has taken appropriate measures and several illegal liquors were seized in past a year.

“We are going to change some sections in the Assam Excise rules and to change some bailable sections to non-bailable. It would likely to be placed before the next state cabinet,” Suklabaidya said.

The department had collected Rs 799.53 crore revenue which jumped to Rs 966.33 crore in 2016-17 and targets Rs 1393 crore in the current fiscal.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)