Excise policy to be back again

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JULY 8.

The liberalised excise policy, which got scuttled due to protests by Congress(I) MLAs and certain vested interests, is all set to stage a comeback but with certain modifications. The Finance Department has been asked to re-examine the policy and delete whatever was considered controversial.

Insiders in the Delhi Government said the green signal for reviewing the policy and bringing it back with a new package had been received. It is also believed that the Finance Minister, Mr. Mahinder Singh Saathi, discussed in detail the issue with the party general secretary and in-charge of Delhi, Mr. Kamal Nath, who had asked him to submit a detailed note. It is believed Mr.Kamal Nath has also favoured implementation of the scrapped policy with modifications. He is understood to have expressed his displeasure at the manner in which some MLAs, considered the Chief Minister loyalists had sought to raise the issue.

Even the Chief Minister, Ms. Sheila Dikshit, is keen on carrying ahead the liberalised policy, but after removing the controversial clauses. The review process has been set in motion by the Excise Department and it could be ready for consideration of the Cabinet within a month's. Officials blame the ruling party MLAs and the liquor lobby for having succeeded in getting the policy scrapped in May. The MLAs, it is felt, had played into the hands of the liquor mafia.

In fact, the MLAs did much damage to their image by raising the issue of No Objection Certificate. The message that had gone across to the people was the legislators were protesting over incurring monetary losses if the NOC provision was removed. Those in favour of removal of the NOC felt that if the people of the area and the local representative oppose the liquor vend in their area then no policy decision or government action could go against this sentiment.

Interestingly, the scrapped policy had proposed to grant permission to banquet halls and farmhouses to serve liquor in their premises for a license fee, a move which could have put an end to this illegal practice and generate revenue. But certain MLAs and the BJP protested, unmindful of the fact that the corrupt officials of the excise and police departments were thriving due to absence of this permission. ``It is common knowledge that liquor is served clandestinely at all the banquet halls and farmhouses. The proposal to regulate serving of liquor was a step in the right direction. But the vested interests worked hard to scuttle it,'' a senior official remarked.

On the other hand, the move to invite the private sector in the liquor trade was also considered a long over-due step. But this was also opposed by the BJP, party MLAs and even some Ministers for reasons best known to them. It is a common knowledge that the government outlets selling liquor are in league with the liquor mafia as a result of which excise collections remain stagnant.

It is also being asked why the Tourism Department, Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation and the Delhi State Industrial Development Corporation should sell liquor when their primary role is something else. It is believed that these organisations are managed in such a poor manner that if the liquor trade is taken away, they would be left with no other work.

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