|
|
Gopal Krishna Patar during a raid at the Bokaro bottling plant on Monday
|
Ranchi, Sept. 7: Excise minister Gopal Krishna Patar has asked department secretary Satendra Singh to serve showcause notices to a Bokaro-based country liquor manufacturer and the local assistant excise commissioner and his two associates.
Chemical analysts will also examine the samples of liquor seized from the bottling plant and action will be taken accordingly. Acting on a tip-off, the minister had raided the premises of M/s Bhattacharya Bottling Plant Private Ltd in Bokaro on Monday.
He detected gross irregularities in maintenance of the stock register. The strength and quantum of liquor packed in the sachets were also below normal. “Barely 180ml to 185ml liquor was found in each of the 200ml sachets. According to agreed terms, the liquor should have 40 per cent alcohol and 60 per cent water. But here, the percentage of water was more than 63.5. According to rough estimates, the manufacturer used to pack over four lakh sachets with ingredients meant for two lakh sachets,” the minister added.
The company has licence for manufacturing, bottling and storage of country liquor for Dumka zone. Besides Bokaro, Godda, Jamtara, Dumka, Deoghar, Sahebganj and Pakur come under this zone.
The minister’s axe has fallen on company director Prashant Kumar Jaiswal, assistant excise commissioner Kaushal Kishore Prasad, excise inspector Sanjay Shrivastava and an assistant sub-inspector. After from dereliction of duty, they will also be charged with causing huge revenue losses to the state exchequer.
|
