New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) The Delhi government's Excise Policy 2021-22 launched last year to boost revenue and reform liquor trade fell to further disrepute with Friday's CBI raids on Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's residence in connection with alleged irregularities in its execution.

The policy was withdrawn by the Delhi government last month, after the lieutenant governor (L-G) recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities cited in a report by the chief secretary.

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Another report by the vigilance department too highlighted the role of excise officials in implementation of the policy from November 17, 2021, with issuing of licences to 849 liquor vends across the city.

The L-G further recommended the suspension of 11 officials of the Delhi excise department, including former excise commissioner and IAS officer Arava Gopi Krishna.

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So far, nine officials have been suspended, while the suspension order of Krishna and a deputy commissioner of the department has been sent for MHA approval from the L-G's office, sources said.

The chief secretary's report listed alleged irregularities in the implementation of the policy and cited specific instances, documents showed.

It was cited by the report that an earnest money of Rs 30 crore was refunded to a bidder for the airport zone after he failed to get a no-objection certificate for opening liquor vends at the IGI airport.

The report also cited various decisions made by officials of the excise department without prior approval of the council of ministers or the L-G.

A waiver of Rs 144.36 crores on tendered licence fee, citing effects of COVID-19, was given to licensees despite the fact that no specific provision for compensation in the form of reduction in tendered licence fee was available in the tender document. This resulted in blatant undue benefits to licensees and loss to the public exchequer, it had claimed.

Incidently, Sisodia on August 6 wrote a letter to the CBI director, welcoming the L-G's recommendation for a probe by the agency.

"If there is any irregularity or suspicion of corruption, then it must be investigated expeditiously and transparently," Sisodia had written to CBI director Subodh Jaiswal.

Sisoda had accused former L-G Anil Baijal of changing his stand on the excise policy and blocking liquor vends in non-conforming areas of Delhi by putting a condition. The deputy chief minister claimed this caused losses worth thousands of crores to the Delhi government.

Baijal hit back, saying the allegations levelled on him by Sisodia were an attempt of a "desperate man to save his own skin".

The vigilance directorate report had also listed different irregularities, including revision of the formula for calculation of rates of foreign liquor and removal of import pass fee at the rate of Rs 50 per case on beer, which reduced input cost of beer and foreign liquor to retailers.

This report too noted that the decision was made without the approval of the council of minister and the L-G.

The documents claimed that "undue benefits were extended to the licensees at the cost of the public exchequer, in brazen violation of established statutes, rules and procedures with an ulterior motive of monetary gains by the powers that be".

The Excise Policy 2021-22, touted as a new one to reform the retail liquor sector and boost the revenue to the tune of Rs 9,500 crore, was prepared by a Delhi government committee.

It was vetted by a group of ministers formed on February 5, 2021. The policy draft okayed by the GoM was accepted by the Delhi cabinet on March 22, 2021.

The final draft of the policy was placed before the L-G for his approval on May 24 last year. It was finally approved by the L-G on November 15, 2021, with a condition that liquor vends in non-conforming areas can open only after permission of the MCD and the DDA.

The BJP and the Congress had vociferously opposed the policy and lodged complaints with the L-G as well as central agencies for a probe into it.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)