Lucknow, 28 Feb (HS): Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary

SP Goyal held a meeting with all divisional commissioners, district

magistrates, and senior police officers via video conferencing on Saturday to

conduct a detailed review of law and order and excise arrangements during the

Holi festival. The Chief Secretary directed all officials to exercise special

vigilance during the festival and to completely stop the production and sale of

any kind of illicit and poisonous liquor. He clearly stated that no accident

should occur due to the consumption of illicit liquor in any district.

Special vigilance should be ensured in sensitive districts and effective

enforcement action should be taken by establishing inter-departmental

coordination. He directed that neither illicit nor poisonous liquor should be

manufactured nor sold in any area.

He said that surprise inspections should be

conducted at liquor shops, dhabas, and other potential locations. It should be

ensured that there is no illegal sale of liquor anywhere and that there are no

complaints of overpriced liquor. Vigilance should be increased at border areas,

especially interstate borders, and suspicious activities should be closely

monitored. Instructions were also given to ensure that authorized cannabis

shops do not allow the sale of cannabis under any circumstances.

The Chief Secretary directed the administration to

launch a special campaign against illicit liquor, calling for intensive

checking at interstate borders. Strict punitive action should be taken against

those violating the law and those involved in the production and sale of

illicit liquor. He urged all officers to work in coordination to ensure that

Holi is celebrated in a peaceful, safe, and orderly environment.

He also directed that liquor shops should not be

closed for unnecessarily long periods of time, as this could encourage the

illegal sale and purchase of alcohol, and the consumption of illicit and

poisonous liquor could lead to accidents. The district administration should

make decisions regarding the closure of shops based on local conditions, so

that the system remains balanced and controlled.

In the review of

the mining department, he gave instructions to ensure 100% fulfillment of the

revenue target. He also asked to ensure effective monitoring of overloading and

illegal mining at the source point itself. Strict punitive action should be

taken against vehicle owners and transporters involved in overloading. The

officers were expected to conduct regular and surprise inspections and ensure

effective and strict action on the spot. Additional Chief Secretary Excise

Veena Kumari Meena, Excise Commissioner Adarsh Singh, Secretary Geology and

Mining Mala Srivastava, Special Secretary Excise Abhishek Anand, Special

Secretary Mining Arun Kumar were present in the meeting.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi