Goa Opposition Leader, Yuri Alemao expressed concern,
stating that it appears the BJP government has intentionally overlooked the
illegal transportation of liquor into Karnataka. This is in response to
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s directive to the Excise Department
officials to crack down on illegal liquor activities in the state and recover
tax payments to meet the annual tax collection target. The Chief Minister
conveyed this message during a review session at Vidhana Soudha’s conference
hall.
“The department’s revenue collection target for the
current year is set at 36,000 crores, with a tax collection growth rate of 5.31
percent. It is imperative that all officers put in their best efforts to meet
these objectives,” emphasized Siddaramaiah.
He also stressed the need for enforcement agencies to
closely monitor the movement of illegal liquor in the state’s border regions,
particularly from Goa. Siddaramaiah pointed out that the production and sale of
illegal liquor not only harm the income of the state but also have adverse
health effects on the underprivileged. Hence, there is an urgent need to curb
the production and sale of illegal liquor.
The Chief Minister further emphasised the importance of
recovering tax arrears and announced his intention to hold a separate meeting
to discuss reforms within the Excise Department.
Siddaramaiah directed officials to consider deploying Home
Guards at border checkposts and to submit proposals for strengthening Home
Guard services in other areas.
The meeting was attended by several high-ranking officials,
including Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister Dr. Rajneesh Goel,
Finance Department Additional Chief Secretary L.K. Ateeq, Finance Department
Secretaries Dr. PC Zafar and Dr. MT Reju, Excise Commissioner Ravi Shankar, and
Chief Minister’s political secretaries K. Govindaraju and Naseer Ahmed.
