IMFL buyers in Ranchi forced to shell out extra at licenced stores

RANCHI: Alcohol consumers in the city are made to shell out extra money for several weeks now while buying alcohol bottles from licensed stores as the operators of the Jharkhand State Beverage Corporation Limited (JSBCL)-owned IMFL shops in the state capital continue to charge them over and above the maximum retail price (MRP) printed on the bottles.
Premium and popular brands of whiskey, beer, rum, vodka, wine and gin continue to become pricier in the state compared to its counterparts in neighbouring West Bengal and others ever since Jharkhand revised its excise duty in 2020 to rake in more revenue and implemented a new liquor policy since May 1 this year. However, after JSBCL took control of wholesale and retail sales in Ranchi, the contractual workforce of these licensed liquor shops is overcharging brazenly, consumers claimed.
“Just the other day, I went visited a liquor store on the Circular Road and asked for a 180ml bottle of premium whiskey which was priced at Rs 190. The storekeeper asked for Rs 200. When I protested by showing them the MRP on the bottle, they simply said the rates were revised. When I asked for the revised rate list, they refused to show it to me,” Sarabjit Singh, a resident of Kokar, said.
The consumers claimed that storekeepers are charging extra money anywhere between Rs 10 and Rs 20 on whiskey (180 and 360 ml bottles) and between Rs 30 and Rs 40 on 750 ml bottles. Likewise, storekeepers are charging beer bottles of 650 ml Rs 30 extra over and above their MRP, which is capped at Rs 210. Complaints to the toll-free number are also ignored, the consumers claimed.
Ramlila Rawani, the assistant commissioner of excise of Ranchi district, said: “We have received a few complaints of over-charging in the past few weeks. Based on the complaints and subsequent investigation, the operators of three stores – one each in Dhurwa, Harmu and Namkum – have been penalized worth Rs 40 lakh. We are in the process of levying the penalties as the order for the same is pending with the deputy commissioner’s office.”
Kamaleshwar Prasad Singh, the Jharkhand excise commissioner, conceded that there is foul play by some contractual workers who have been hired by private agencies.
“The rates of a few liquor brands have been revised in September but not all. We have requested for appointing over 560 excise inspectors in the coming days,” Singh added.