Excise department destroys wine bottles taken as ‘mamul’

Nagarkurnool: On direction of the Commissioner of Excise and Prohibition, Government of Telangana, the Excise department in Achampet mandal of Nagarkurnool district started clean up drive and destroyed as many as 668 liquor bottles stocked in its office on Wednesday.

After having received complaints over the corrupt activities of Excise department in Mahbubnagar, Akun Sabarwal, Commissioner of Excise and Prohibition, had recently visited the district and taken a review of the performance of the excise department officials.

As part of the review, the Excise Commissioner had directed officials to immediately start the clean-up drive and destroy all the old stocked wine bottles in the excise department offices and warned of strict departmental action.

The main reason for the clean-up drive was that earlier, some wine shop owners had complaint to the District Collector against the Excise department officials of extortion and threatening to slap false cases if they din’t pay monthly ‘mamuls’ to them.

This issue also reached the higher-ups in the excise department in Hyderabad and thus the excise commissioner himself took stock of the situation and immediately directed the district officials to mend ways or else face departmental action.  

According to sources, the Excise officials would stock the wine bottles that they would seize from the wine shop owners in raids. They would also take liquor bottles in cartons as mamul and stock the same in their offices and home. When the voice against the Excise cops reached headquarters in Hyderabad, the department had to take action.

Taking up this call, the excise department in Achampet mandal of Nagarkurnool district started cleaning up the mess and destroyed all the old wine bottles in stocked in the department. “As per the directions of our higher-ups we have destroyed 15 full bottles, 28 half bottles, 311 quarter bottles and 314 bottles of beer as part of the call given by the higher authorities,” said M. Gangadhar district Excise and Prohibition officer Nagarkurnool.

Sravan Kumar Excise Circle inspector, Dayanand, Excise Sub Inspector and other police constables Anjaneyulu, vinod kumar, Balaiah and Devender participated in the clean up drive.