The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government of Andhra Pradesh has set up a Special Enforcement Bureau on Saturday (Liquor and Sand) “as an exclusive robust information agency” to curb the menace of illegal sale of liquor and
sand in the state.
The state government has appointed Director General of Police as Ex-Officio Principal Secretary of the newly created department of Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) and it will function on par with the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and Vigilance and Intelligence departments.
The role and responsibility of the bureau is to stop the smuggling of alcohol, from bordering states and put a curb on preparation of illicit liquor and check the illegal sand mining in the state.
All the existing employees of Excise Department will be subsumed into the newly created SEB department.
The state government will post 7 out of 18 Additional SP for monitoring the border districts in Kurnool, Anantapur, Chittoor, Nellore, Guntur, Krishna and West / East Godavari districts.
In a review meeting held recently, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy decided to make this special department. The excise minister, Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney, Director General of Police Gautam Sawang and other senior officials were also present during the meeting where CM and officials came up with a strategy to stop illegal transportation of liquor from neighbouring states, after Andhra Pradesh’s introduced total prohibition.
As part of the proactive measures taken by the government, number of wine shops have been reduced by 20 per cent and removed 4,500 permit rooms and 43,000 belt shop besides reduction in maximum possession limit of liquor.
The price of alcohol has been increased by 75 per cent after the reopening of the liquor shops after the Centre gave some relaxation in the Coronavirus lockdown.
The alcohol shops too have been further reduced by 13 per cent.