Punjab Newsline, Shimla, March 9-
State Taxes and Excise Commissioner Dr. Yunus said here today that the department is taking stringent action against illicit liquor trade through in the state. He said that during the financial year 2024-25, up to February 2025, a total of 1, 23,940 bulk liters of illicit liquor had been seized, and 4,41,918 bulk liters of lahan (raw material for liquor) had been destroyed. So far, 754 cases related to illicit liquor and lahan have been registered this financial year.
Dr. Yunus highlighted a recent operation in Excise District Nurpur, where a department team intercepted a Bolero pickup truck near Bajira during a special checkpoint. Upon inspection, 72 cartons of illicit liquor were found inside the vehicle, with no valid documentation. Legal action was taken under the Himachal Pradesh Excise Act, 2011.
In another case, on 24th February, 2025 during a check point near the Excise Barrier at Garamora in Bilaspur district, a vehicle traveling from Kiratpur Sahib, Punjab, to Himachal Pradesh was stopped for a routine inspection. Authorities found 300 cartons (2,340 bulk liters) of liquor without proper documentation.