Hyderabad: Role of ex CS Somesh alleged

Hyderabad : Startling revelations of the role of bigwigs are coming to the fore in the alleged scam involving city’s biggest liquor mart ‘Tonique’. A probe by the Excise and Prohibition department claims that then Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and then Excise Commissioner R V Chandravadan had given permissions to the liquor mart to open a chain of outlets across the city in 2016.

During the probe, they are said to have questioned even a top official in the CMO during the BRS regime. They feel that this official also had a role in granting permission against the state excise laws. It is also being alleged that the GO exempting the liquor marts from turnover tax for three years was issued on the insistence of a BRS MLC and an influential MP. But this GO is not available in the public domain. This had resulted in Rs 70 crore loss to the state exchequer, the officials claim.

Not just that, there were instructions to the Commercial Tax wing and Excise authorities were told not to conduct any checks or raids on these outlets.

The officials said that the licenses to open the liquor outlets were given to sell only foreign liquor. But later the Excise department has permitted them to sell all varieties of liquor in these “elite wine shops.”

It was also allowed to remain open till midnight and were permitted to lift stocks from anywhere in the state in violation of the existing rules. The liquor shops have to purchase liquor only from the allotted depot.

Officials said the license for the outlet was issued in the name of Amit Reddy and Abhishek Reddy which was later transferred to one person by name Narasimha. The CMO official’s close relatives were actively involved in the entire illegal retail liquor trade in the city, it is being alleged.

It is said that a noted BRS leader and MLC from Hyderabad also played a key role in the opening of the liquor outlets in the city. A senior Excise official said the government gave import license to the Tonique mart. As per the excise rules, the liquor import license is given to only five-star hotels in the city.

Another interesting aspect is that these outlets had got the license to sell liquor without participating in the regular process where auction of shops takes place. Wine Dealers Association leader Venkateshwarlu said the licensed wine shop dealers approached the High Court against this act of the government. Non-participation in auction had also led to the loss of huge money to the government. The association is demanding that the new government should take the issue to its logical conclusion and should not push the case under carpet after initial hungama.