Tech initiative may disrupt liquor sale

BENGALURU: Disruption looms massive over sale of liquor owing to teething issues in a tech initiative launched by the excise division to renew liquor merchandising licences.
Liquor distributors are jittery as their allows are set to expire in a fortnight, but the instrument to renew licence online is yet to be evolved.

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While the target is noble, the process leaves so much to be desired. There were whispers of corruption during renewing of excise licences and the proposal to transport it online offered hope of stemming the rot. However, the system defects in putting the instrument in place and next delay is a motive for worry as licence holders are caught in a limbo. The excise division will have to paintings overtime to fix the issues briefly and ensure the renewal goes on easily. A failure would pressure authorities to revert to the old system and this gives room for corruption to hit a new prime.

Excise commissioner Munish Moudgil’s initiative targets to curb corruption, but has brought about discomfort amongst excise officials who are lobbying for a status quo. “Digitisation will simplify the process and bring duty amongst licencees and licence-issuing authorities. To get started with, we can introduce the online system for renewal of liquor licences. The instrument is being evolved,” Moudgil stated.

Under the newsystem, applicationswouldbedeemed licensed if the authorities involved fail to make their suggestions online throughout the time frame (every week as per the commissioner’s proposal).

The hitch, on the other hand, is that the instrument being evolved by an in-house group of Bhoomi Project at the commissionerate of survey, settlement and land information will take some extra time sooner than it’s in a position for take a look at. Traders, on the other hand, can be ineligible to pick up shares from the Karnataka State Beverages Corporation Limited (KSBCL) if their licence is not renewed sooner than July 1.

Traders arecomplaining of freshtroubleeven asthey recuperate from final yr’s monthslon g ban on sale of liquor close to highways. “Now, we may land in a state of affairs similar to final yr when our industry was once hit on account of GST,” stated Lokesh, president of Bengaluru City Wine Merchants Association.

“We know traders can’t carry shares with expired licence. We can permit them to shop for liquor from KSBCL for a month or so if their licence is not renewed for technical causes,” saidRajendra Prasad, further excise commissioner, adding: “Dealerscan buy stocksfor the next month sooner than expiry of licence in June.”

A KSBCL official, on the other hand, stated it’d be illegal to sell inventory without right kind licence and the corporation won’t agree to such instructions.

“Buying shares in advance calls for extra investment. Traders can’t afford to spend a lot, particularly in June as they wish to pay for licence renewal,” stated Gowda, president, Karnataka State Wine Dealers Association.