Excise crackdown on toddy taverns

Rasika Somarathna

COLOMBO: The Excise Department has sealed 14 toddy taverns for violating the provisions of the Liquor Licences and manipulating profits resulting in revenue losses to the State.

A fine of Rs. 5 million too was imposed on the offenders.

According to Excise sources, the operators of these taverns had been manipulating their accounts over a long period, depriving the Government of millions of rupees in excise revenue.

These outlets have been charged for selling liquor during the prohibited hours, failure to maintain proper accounts, harbouring illegal stocks and selling low quality products.

The toddy taverns have to renew their licences at an auction every year and the lowest bid is based on the profits made. Therefore the renters manipulate the account books to make a lower bid, depriving the Government of millions of rupees in revenue, Excise sources said.

Against this backdrop the Commissioner General has ordered an immediate crackdown on such establishments and the offenders are to be severely dealt with, the sources said.

The raids were conducted on taverns in the Negombo, Pitipana, Katunayake, Kurana, Kandana and Kochchikade by a team of officers led by Assistant Commissioner K.M.G. Bandara on the instructions of Excise Commissioner General Parakrama Bandara Ekanayake.