Excise Commissioner transferred; Keralam minister says it is routine procedure

Thiruvananthapuram, The Keralam government on Friday transferred Excise Commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao amid dissatisfaction expressed by Excise Minister M Liju over officials in the department issuing bar and horti-wine licences, officials said.

However, Liju denied that the transfer was linked to his dissatisfaction with the department's functioning and described it as a routine administrative procedure.

An order to this effect was issued by the General Administration Department.

As per the order, Rao, who was serving as Excise Commissioner and Special Secretary in the Electronics and Information Technology Department, has been transferred and posted as Special Secretary in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development Department.

He will also hold the additional charge of the Backward Classes Development Department.

"The officer is relieved of the charge of Excise Commissioner with immediate effect. The Additional Excise Commissioner will hold the charge of Excise Commissioner until further orders," the order said.

Liju had openly expressed dissatisfaction after three bars in Ernakulam and Kottayam districts were granted licences under the liquor policy of the previous LDF government.

The minister maintained that the UDF government was in the process of formulating its liquor policy and that no licences should be granted under the previous government's policy until the new one was finalised.

He had suspended two Excise Deputy Commissioners for granting licences to the three bars.

The minister had also expressed dissatisfaction with the grant of a licence to a bakery chain based in Chalakudy to sell horti wine, a move permitted under the previous regime.

He intervened to cancel the licence and transferred the official who had granted it.

Liju has announced that the UDF government's liquor policy will be presented by the end of this month.

Reacting to the transfer of the Excise Commissioner, Liju told reporters on Friday that it was not the first time such a change had occurred.

He said attempts were being made to link the transfer to issues with various licences issued by the Excise Department for liquor sales.

"Transfers of Excise Secretaries or Excise Commissioners are administrative decisions. The concerned department naturally takes such decisions," he said.

He said 35 civil servants from various departments had recently been transferred and the present move could be considered the 36th such transfer.

He said action had been taken against Deputy Excise Commissioners for issuing bar licences while the government was formulating a new liquor policy.

Liju also said the government had informed the High Court that no fresh licences would be issued until the new policy was announced.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.