By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 25 Jul: District Excise Officer KP Singh has been attached to the Excise Headquarters following a series of legal and administrative lapses regarding the relocation of six liquor shops that had been identified as contributing to road safety hazards in the capital. The action reportedly comes on a direction in this regard issued by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in response to District Magistrate Savin Bansal’s strong recommendation for Singh’s suspension. However, instead of suspending KP Singh, orders have been issued not for suspension but attachment with the Excise Headquarters. It may also be pertinent to point here that the recommendation of suspension made by DM Savin Bansal was also supported by observations from the Chief Standing Counsel, who has also made a strong case for suspension of Singh.
Excise Inspector Virendra Kumar Joshi has been given charge as District Excise Officer as an additional charge and no extra emoluments will be paid to him for this.
The controversy in the case arose after a decision taken by the District Road Safety Committee on 27 March, which had advised shifting around six liquor vends owing to their proximity to busy roads and junctions prone to accidents and congestion. In response, the Excise Department was directed by the DM on 13 May to ensure relocation of the establishments concerned within one week and submit a compliance report by 22 May. However, the department failed to take any visible action within the given timeframe, raising concerns over administrative inertia.
Meanwhile, the decision of the district administration to relocate the shops was challenged by the liquor venders concerned in the Uttarakhand High Court. Here the role of the district excise officer comes into the picture. The government’s position reportedly weakened when Singh, without obtaining any permission or clearance from the higher authorities, presented submissions to the Standing Counsel that contradicted the committee’s recommendations. His submission reportedly claimed that the liquor vends in question were not obstructing traffic or creating any inconvenience to the passersby in a clear breach of protocol complicating the matter further, leading to judicial scrutiny.
On 27 June, the High Court instructed the state government to conduct a revision hearing. During the revision hearing, the Principal Secretary, Excise, upheld the DM’s position during the proceedings and reaffirmed 31 July as the final deadline for relocation. Singh’s deviation from the official line in the case and unsanctioned communication with the Government Counsel were subsequently viewed as deliberate defiance of both legal and administrative norms. In light of Singh’s unauthorised communication and perceived irresponsibility, Bansal escalated the matter by recommending his immediate suspension and a high-level inquiry. In response, the excise department did not order immediate suspension of Singh, but it did order his attachment to the State Excise Headquarters.
Excise Commission Anuradha Pal has also told the government that a recommendation has been made to suspend the officer.
Excise Commissioner Anuradha Pal, while confirming receipt of the District Magistrate’s recommendation, stated that an investigation would precede any decision on suspension. For the time being, Singh has been removed from his post and attached to the headquarters. She further stated that Excise Inspector Virendra Kumar Joshi from Region-2 Mussoorie has been given temporary charge of the Dehradun district.
This is not the first instance of friction between the District Magistrate and the Excise Department over liquor shop regulation in Dehradun. In the past, some liquor bars were sealed on the orders of the DM but, using their influence, the licensees had got the order stayed by the then State Excise Commission and IAS officer Hari Chand Semwal. However, the current episode marks a significant deviation due to its legal undertones and breach of departmental procedures. Singh’s unilateral correspondence with the Standing Counsel, which bypassed the administrative chain of command, would be considered as a serious lapse in governance and legal protocol.
Otherwise, too, the liquor venders are known to overcharge the consumers and despite innumerable media reports or the viral videos in this connection, no serious action is taken. In some cases, penalties are levied but no stringent action which may include cancellation of vend license is ever taken. The politicians and higher bureaucrats are often considered to be having a softer approach towards the venders.
