Thiruvananthapuram: Excise minister M Liju on Tuesday said govt would adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption in the department and take stringent action against officials involved in illegal activities, regardless of their rank.Liju said that a vigilance probe would be recommended into the allegations of disproportionate asset acquisition by officers suspended in connection with the Kottayam irregularities after the departmental inquiry is completed.The minister said the irregularities were detected following an investigation ordered on the basis of a WhatsApp complaint he had received. Excise commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao carried out the inquiry directly and action was subsequently taken against officers, including the Kottayam deputy excise commissioner S Asoka Kumar.Liju congratulated Rao for carrying out the investigation and said the action demonstrated the department’s commitment to identifying corruption within its ranks. “Some officers are keen to go to Kottayam, Alappuzha, Palakkad and Thrissur districts. If they are going there not to do their job honestly, they won’t return the way they went,” Liju said.He said inspections and enforcement would be extended to all districts. Bars and toddy shops should run their businesses legally and there should be no situation in which they have to pay bribes to officials, he said.“Those who do so will be put behind bars. Nobody should think they can destroy people’s lives and health, grow rich and share a portion of the money with some employees,” Liju said, warning that strict legal action would be taken against those selling illicit liquor.He urged the public to come forward as whistleblowers if officers demand bribes and appealed to the media and public not to circulate false information that could undermine officials who are fighting corruption. During the Onam special enforcement drive, run from Aug 1 to 31, the department registered 2,126 Abkari cases, with 1,600 accused arrested, and 1,086 NDPS cases, with 993 accused arrested.The seizures during the special drive included 8,336 litres of spirit, 302.2 litres of arrack, 5,683 litres of Indian made foreign liquor, 1,202 litres of toddy, 927 litres of liquor from other states and 17,048 litres of wash.The department also seized 111.39kg of ganja, 2,444 ganja plants, 1,126g ganja candy, 164.68g hashish oil, 666.8g MDMA, 429.60g methamphetamine, 96.09g heroin and 25.29g brown sugar, among other substances.On govt’s new liquor policy, Liju said discussions had already begun and decisions would be taken after consulting health professionals, organisations and other stakeholders. The issue of low-strength alcohol would also be considered as part of the policy. “There have been views from various quarters that low-strength alcohol could reduce the use of narcotic substances,” he said.Liju said govt’s objective was to promote responsible drinking and reduce alcohol consumption. He said he had instructed the department to publish the details of beverages corporation outlets that sold the least quantity of liquor during Onam, instead of focusing on outlets with the highest sales.
