Panaji: AAP Goa on Tuesday demanded that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant investigate the excise scam involving the illegal import of liquor from Haryana and the smuggling of liquor out of the coastal state.
AAP Goa President Amit Palekar told reporters that while liquor from Goa is being illegally smuggled out of the state, liquor from Haryana is simultaneously being illegally brought into Goa.
He said that in both instances, there is a revenue loss to the tune of crores of rupees to the state exchequer. Palekar accused the Goa Excise Department of being “top-to-bottom involved in this scam.”
The AAP leader demanded that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who also holds the Excise portfolio, investigate this scam as a priority.
Palekar said that such a scam is not possible without the involvement of officers from the Goa Excise Department.
He said that every month, at least one or two trucks carrying illegal liquor are caught at the borders of neighbouring Maharashtra or Karnataka.
“This means the truck managed to pass through the Goa border, where the Excise Department has check posts,” he said.
Palekar also pointed out that Excise Inspectors are posted at every distillery to ensure that every litre of liquor manufactured is accounted for.
“We fail to understand how illegal liquor is manufactured if an Excise Inspector is deputed at each distillery. There seems to be involvement of these inspectors in this scam,” he said.
The AAP leader pointed out that in the past, his party had exposed porous borders in South Goa by conducting surprise inspections there.
“We had also exposed how the Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary in South Goa was used to smuggle liquor into neighbouring Karnataka,” he said.
