Liquor shops near Telangana border and across state will shut for 2 days before polls

All liquor shops located within five km from the state's border, will be closed 48 hours before voters head to the polling booth.
Liquor shops near Telangana border and across state will shut for 2 days before polls
Liquor shops near Telangana border and across state will shut for 2 days before polls
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All liquor shops in Telangana and along the border of neighbouring states, located within five km from the state's border will be closed 48 hours before voters head to the polling booth, which is scheduled for December 7.

Officials of Telangana on Friday said that an inter-state meeting was held with excise officials of all the states bordering the state, which included Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Chhattisgarh, which also shares a part of its border with Telangana, is also heading to the polls. 

Speaking after the meeting, Telangana Principal Secretary (Excise) Somesh Kumar told reporters, "The habitual offenders (related to illegal liquor) on both sides of the borders have been identified and it was agreed to ensure that they would be arrested or bound over as per the case. Dry days will be maintained from 48 hours before the close of polls on December 7."

Just earlier this week, the Election Commission said that it had seized  a total of 3,19,335.732 litres of liquor that was unaccounted and was worth Rs 6.66 crore in the market. Out of this, the police department seized 20,677.407 litres of liquor worth Rs 0.71 crore while the Excise Deparment seized 2,98,678.325 litres of liquor worth Rs 5.95 crore.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Raja Kumar said that they were seriously looking into complaints of use of money and liquor in the state, adding that swift action was being taken.

The EC has also launched a mobile application in Telangana as a pilot project and dubbed it 'C-Vigil'. Available on the Google Playstore, the EC said that the app will allow citizens to report any malpractices that they witness.

Matters have been heated in the state since Telangana caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s decision to dissolve the Legislative Assembly on September 6. Governor ESL Narasimhan ratified the cabinet’s decision on the same day. While voting will take place on December 7, the counting will take place on December 11.

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