Excise department destroys 14,500 litres of illegal liquor in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur

Shimla, Nov 25 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh government's excise department has destroyed 14,500 litres of 'lahan' (local liquor) worth Rs 4.35 lakh after raiding illegal liquor manufacturing units in the Toka Nagla forest in Sirmaur district, officials said on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off, a specialised team, led by Assistant Commissioner of State Taxes and Excise Sandeep Attri, conducted an intensive search operation five to six kilometers inside the dense forest on Friday, a statement issued here said.

During the operation, the team busted three illegal liquor manufacturing units located on the banks of a river and recovered 14,500 litres of 'lahan', which was destroyed on the spot as per the provisions of the Himachal Pradesh Excise Act, 2011, said State Taxes and Excise Commissioner Yunus.

He said such action is being taken against illegal liquor manufacturing units across the state to curb the sale of illicit liquor.

As part of the operation, the department has also seized 115 boxes of English liquor and beer in Mandi district which were meant for sale in Chandigarh.

Yunus said the department has formed 24 mobile teams across the state to curb the production, sale and purchase of illegal liquor and prevent tax evasion.

The departmental teams have seized 1,08,698 litres of 'lahan' in 309 cases so far in the ongoing fiscal.

The commissioner appealed to the citizens to immediately share any information about illegal liquor and tax evasion on toll-free number 1800-180-8060 and WhatsApp number 9418331426. PTI BPL AS DIV DIV