In a rush to enforce partial prohibition from April 1, the registration, excise and prohibition department has allegedly flouted excise laws and appointed assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) in place of superintendents to officiate as unit in-charge of distilleries, breweries, bottling plants and sugar mills that require technical knowledge.

To top it, the department has also transferred excise constables to liquor manufacturing and bottling units, while the existing laws clearly mention that only officials not below the rank of SIs can set foot on such premises.

The excise department has issued several letters so far, transferring and appointing ASI and constables on important posts. They mention that this has been done on the recommendations of the current secretary of registration, excise and prohibition department, K.K. Pathak.

The excise commissioner's secretary, Om Prakash Mandal, issued two letters - one on January 30, 2016 and the other on February 2, transferring over 40 ASIs working in various districts to different distilleries, breweries, sugar mills and bottling plants operating in the state.

The letters, copies of which are with The Telegraph, were sent to all excise deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and superintendents, claim the transfer proposal was approved by the principal secretary of the department.

They inform that all ASIs have been authorised to act as in-charge of the liquor units (except financial matters) they have been posted at.

The move has created apprehensions within the department itself about how such junior officials will oversee the technical work at the units where they have been posted.

The excise department also realised that the newly posted ASI at the liquor units need training to discharge their duties and issued another letter, calling them for a day's training at their Patna headquarters.

A senior excise official said: "The posting of ASIs and constables is in contravention to the Bihar Excise Act and Bihar Molasses (Control) Rules. It is clearly said in the act and the rules as to officers of which ranks should work as liquor unit in-charge or distillery officers. The provisions could be changed only by the state government, or the board of revenue through amendment to the act or the rules."

Another senior excise official pointed out that a wide range of works, including measuring the vats used in the distilling process, assessing the molasses along with their quantity and quality, monitoring ingredient input and output, monitoring the movement of spirit and produced drinks, mixing with water as well as, bottling go on at liquor units.

"These are highly technical work. The officials are also supposed to check the strength of liquor in manufacturing and bottling units. ASIs and constables are not qualified to perform these duties. They may be misled by the owners and managers of distilleries and breweries in their work," the official said.