By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 15 May: In a decisive move under the new excise policy for the financial year 2025–26, the Government of Uttarakhand has finally directed the permanent closure of liquor shops that consistently face opposition from local residents. Excise Commissioner Hari Chandra Semwal late last evening issued a circular to all District Excise Officers, calling for details of such outlets within their jurisdictions. Interestingly, in the recent past, several similar decisions taken by district administrations in the state were promptly overturned by the same officer, i.e. Excise Commission and Secretary Excise Hari Chandra Semwal. In several other cases, no action was taken for long on closing down liquor vends in sensitive areas which was protested by the locals. In the wake of those incidents, yesterday’s order comes as a surprise.
In yet another surprising decision, on the orders of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, action was taken against a liquor vend located at Sahastradhara Road late last night after the CM took cognisance of a senior journalist’s post on social media in which it had been pointed out that his calls were ignored by the Excise Commissioner Hari Chandra Semwal.
In the communication order issued yesterday, Semwal has asked officials to identify liquor shops which draw public protests every year upon their opening. The decision, he stated, has been taken on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, with due consideration to public sentiment and the voice of Matri Shakti (women power).
Further, Semwal has directed that such liquor shops be closed permanently, and if any licensee has already deposited revenue for these locations, the amount shall be refunded. The government has claimed that there may be approximately four to five such shops in districts including Dehradun and Almora, where strong opposition arises annually. Unofficially however this number seems much higher as in Dehradun district itself there have been strong protests in around 5 cases.
It may be pertinent to point out here that in multiple instances, he has overturned decisions made by District Magistrate Dehradun, Savin Bansal, who had ordered the closure of certain liquor vends following public demand. These reversals had triggered questions regarding the consistency and responsiveness of the excise administration.
The matter escalated further on Wednesday night, when a senior journalist from Dehradun exposed overpricing at a liquor departmental store located near ATS, Sahastradhara Road. After personally observing the malpractice, the journalist attempted to contact Semwal, but Semwal chose to remain silent on the complaint. The journalist then posted a detailed account of the incident on his Facebook account last evening.
Taking swift cognisance of the post, CM Dhami intervened late at night and ordered immediate action. The accused, Deepak Jaiswal, son of Sushil Kumar, a resident of Meerapur Katra, Thana Katra, District Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh), and currently residing near Chaudhary Nursery, Sumanpuri, Sahastradhara Crossing, Thana Raipur, Dehradun, was challaned under the Police Act.
Despite public outcry and media attention, officials of the Excise Department have generally maintained silence on the issue of overpricing. Campaigns have been carried out following media reports for a short period, but no further action followed. The CM yesterday also directed the excise department to constitute a special team and launch a campaign against liquor overpricing, which will continue until 20 May. It may also be reminded here that Semwal is due to retire shortly but the speculation in the political circles claims that he might be given at least a 3 month extension.
