The Himachal Pradesh Excise Amendment Bill was passed in the Assembly on Thursday. This bill has made more stringent provisions than before to curb the manufacture and illegal trade of illicit liquor. Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu introduced this bill for discussion, stressing the need to address the growing challenges related to illegal liquor trade. Sometimes people also lose their lives due to consumption of illicit liquor.
The Chief Minister said that the amendment bill has provisions to regulate the production, sale and transportation of liquor. But with the increasing cases of illicit liquor manufacture and consumption, it has become necessary to increase penalties and streamline enforcement processes. The amended provisions are aimed at improving the effectiveness of investigations and trials related to excise offences.
Major amendments have been made in 13 sections of the Act. These include Sections 2, 26, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 47, 53, 66, 67 and 68. The amended Act includes an increase in penalties for various offences, with fines ranging from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. A major change in Section 41 (E) allows the government to confiscate property illegally acquired through the illicit liquor trade. It prohibits individuals from holding such property. If the District Magistrate or Collector finds illegally acquired property, these shall vest in the state government, free from all encumbrances. The Collector or District Magistrate can order confiscation of the property of offenders under the new provisions.
The amendments also include harsher penalties for offences such as selling alcohol to minors, employing minors in alcohol-related activities, illegal production and sale, and mixing harmful substances with alcohol. Additionally, harsher penalties have been imposed on licence holders or their employees for fraudulent activities. All offences are now classified as cognisable, meaning arrests can be made without a warrant.
The government aims to use these measures to curb the menace of illicit liquor manufacturing and ensure a more robust enforcement framework to deal with the growing issues related to alcohol abuse in the state. Earlier, taking part in the discussion on the bill, BJP’s Randhir Sharma said the government has increased the work of the police by this amendment while the police is already overburdened as it already has a lot of work. He said the government should deploy more police personnel in police stations after this amendment.
Report: UK Sharma
