Excise staff in Eluru ordered to stop liquor flow

Eluru: Excise officials in the district have been asked to control flow of liquor during elections.

At a meeting held with excise staff from the district, Collector Praveen Kumar ordered them to take effective steps to arrest supply of arrack and country-made liquor.

He warned them against presence of belt shops anywhere in the district. In case of any belt shop noticed anywhere, the concerned excise official would be held responsible and stern action would be taken. It will be the responsibility of the excise officials to check the belt shops. Those who failed to do so would face suspension, he warned.

The excise officials should be vigilant during polls and keep a watch on the flow of liquor from one place to other. They should also monitor the movement of liquor from godown. The excise officials should make it a point to check whether contesting candidates or their aides stocking liquor for use during polls.

The Collector called upon people to download C-Vigil app and send information regarding supply of liquor and distribution of money to the Election Commission (EC) by recording the same in their phones. This would help the officials to act swiftly and arrest the responsible persons.

Deputy Commissioner of Excise and Prohibition YV Bhaskar Rao, excise superintendents Renuka and Suresh Babu, other excise staff attended the meeting.