Hyderabad: Excise department slips into 'mamool raj'

Hyderabad: The recent gang rape incident of a 17-year-old girl and the political furore over it brought to the fore many a lacuna in implementing the rules and regulations by the powers that be.

It is learnt that the State Excise and Prohibition department was not monitoring the activities in the pubs. According to rules, all pubs should install CCTV cameras, which should be linked to the excise offices so that they can monitor the liquor flow and the kind of activities that were taking place there. Though the pubs are installing CCTV cameras, they are not linked to the Excise department.

Opposition parties allege that this was because the officials get 'mamools'. According to them, the excise office in Hitec city alone gets about Rs 50 lakh a month.

They also feel that this was one of the reasons for the authorities not taking timely action in the incidents of drugs being supplied in pubs. The pubs, they allege, were violating all mandated security norms and were allowing certain activities in the name of recreation, particularly during the weekends though they are not permitted.

It has been noticed that more than 80 per cent of the pubs were holding events which allowed minors to attend dance and music parties. Students studying intermediate are free to enter the pubs and hold birthday parties and other get-together events even till late night during the weekends, sources said.

The Excise department is the authority to issue licences to the pubs and monitor activities. The Opposition also alleges that the government was issuing licences to the pubs liberally and liquor has been flowing freely. There have been incidents where vulgar dances had taken place in some pubs on the day they were inaugurated recently. If the Excise department was strict in implementing the rules, such incidents would not take place, BJP and Congress parties feel.

They further allege that some people in the office of the Excise Minister were also involved in this and hence they demanded a CBI probe.

It may be mentioned here that not a single pub was closed for violation of rules till date. Even in the case of Amnesia Club, the excise officials did not take any action so far though minors held a party and there was no monitoring of the activities inside the pub.