If you are a tourist planning to enjoy premium liquor brands in the UT, beware. You could be overcharged by liquor shops here.
Fifteen liquor shops, including six government-owned ones of Amudhasuravi and PAPSCO were found to have been selling premium brands at a price above the MRP.
When the shop owners sense that the customer is from outside the Union Territory, especially from the North, they inflate the prices. As tourists find the liquor here still cheaper than that in their states, they do not bother to check the MRP. Some do not even insist on a cash memo. The shop owner pockets the profit.
This malpractice came to light following complaints from some customers to the Excise Department, which swung into action and imposed a heavy fine of Rs 50,000 on each of the 15 liquor shops that were found to have been charging customers over and above the MRP, besides violating other provisions of the Excise Act, Deputy Collector (Excise) R Anbazhagan told ‘Express’.
The licence and permits of shops that fail to pay the fine will not be renewed, authorities added.
Notices were issued to PAPSCO and Amudhasurabhi, following which 18 staff members were suspended.
Ever since printing of MRP on Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) bottles was made mandatory since September last year, the Excise Department has been getting complaints regularly. On December 17, Anbazhagan directed liquor shop owners to display the MRP on each product and provide cash memo for each sale.
Circulars to the effect were also issued to retailers and government corporations like Amuthasurabhi, PAPSCO and PASIC.
The shops which initially displayed the rate list, removed them later.
Interestingly, cheap and medium brands were sold at their MRP rates, some even lower than the MRP, in order to attract more customers.
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