Excise-Taxation Dept has launched an online portal for interstate coordination to curb interstate smuggling of liquor. Election Commission of India had also issued stringent guidelines to curb the illegal distribution of liquor in all States during Model Code of Conduct. Vinay Pratap Singh Excise Commissioner informed that the Department is in real-time coordination with Excise Nodal Officers of other States to immediately act on instances of illegal smuggling of liquor.

Department had sent Additional Commissioner Excise & DSP rank officer to Bihar to coordinate with Bihar Police & Excise Department to improve interstate coordination. To further improve coordination between States to curb illegal smuggling of liquor, Excise Department has launched online portal to share information on all liquor export consignments with destination & enroute States so that no pilferage happens enroute. As soon as any export permission from UT Chandigarh is granted through the system, it would send out an email and SMS alert to the Nodal Officer(s) of the recipient state and to the states wherein the export consignment will be enroute.

It will confirm interalia consignment and vehicle details, approx. time and location when the consignment will enter and exit the enroute states and time when it will enter and reach the destination of the recipient state.

If any State confiscates any illegal liquor consignment ‘for supply/sale in Chandigarh’ or from the Bottling plants in Chandigarh, provision has been made on the online portal for that State to login and enter/upload the requisite details of the confiscated consignment so that Chandigarh Excise Department can be notified in real time. This prompt information sharing will largely help in effective enforcement and tracing the confiscated liquor consignment to the source.

Vinay Pratap Singh Excise Commissioner informed that Department has written to Secretaries of Excise Department of all States with request to direct their Excise officials to use the online portal effectively to ensure that interstate smuggling of liquor is curbed.