Maharashtra: Chandrapur falls off wagon, excise department eyes Rs 20,000 crore target

MUMBAI: The revenue mobilised by the excise department since April 1 seems to indicate that the target of Rs 20,000 crore for the current financial year will be met after the state government lifted the ban on sale and consumption of liquor in Chandrapur district.
Chandrapur used to contribute nearly Rs 650 crore per year before the ban was imposed from April 1, 2015.
After the ban was lifted, the excise department garnered Rs 60 crore in July alone.“We expect that the same trend will continue. Liquor consumption in Chandrapur district is on the rise. In the current financial year, we expect to mobilise Rs 650 crore from Chandrapur district,’’ an official said.
Following a protest lodged by a social activist, the state had imposed a ban on sale and consumption of liquor in Chandrapur from April 1, 2015. At the time, Devendra Fadnavis was the CM, while BJP politician Sudhir Mungantiwar was guardian minister of Chandrapur.
On May 27, the MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray lifted the ban to tackle the resource crunch. The district has renewed licences of 250 permit rooms and bars, 32 beer shops, two clubs, four wine shops and 72 country liquor shops from July 1. In a month, 8.02 lakh bulk litres of country liquor, 2.12 lakh bulk litres of Indian-made foreign liquor, 1.88 lakh bulk litres of strong beer, 19,000 bulk litres of mild beer and 1,964 bulk litres of wine has been consumed.
An official said that last year, in view of the stringent lockdown, it was difficult for the department to achieve the target. “Thanks to the permission granted for home delivery and counter sale, the department was able to just achieve the target. Now that restrictions have been lifted, it appears that the department will achieve the target of Rs 20,000 crore. In the last four months, we have mobilised Rs 3,788 crore, while last year it was Rs 2,834 crore during the same period,” he said.