Vijayawada:Excise minister Kollu Ravindra conducted a surprise inspection at a liquor outlet in Guntur on Friday, asserting that the government would not allow any irregularities in the liquor trade.
The minister inspected the district excise office and liquor testing laboratory, examined samples and reviewed procedures with officials. He later checked a retail outlet, verifying stock records and scanning bottles using the Excise Suraksha app.
He also interacted with customers to assess the quality of liquor.
Addressing the media, Ravindra said the state government has introduced “revolutionary reforms” in the excise department, ensuring the supply of quality liquor.
To strengthen quality control, the government has set up testing laboratories in Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Chittoor, Kurnool and Guntur. Each batch is tested from ENA through bottling, with over 30,000 samples now examined monthly, up from 14,000 annually earlier.
He said digital payments now account for over 40 per cent of liquor sales, replacing the earlier cash-based system. An automated supply order system has been introduced to ensure transparency.
Measures like Navodaya 2.0 aim to curb illicit liquor, while the Excise Suraksha app enables track-and-trace of every bottle. CCTV cameras and the Excise Eye app are monitoring shop operations, he asserted.
The excise minister alleged attempts by opposition elements to manufacture illicit liquor to defame the government, but said strict enforcement has curbed illegal inflows and boosted sales in border districts.
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