Delhi: Excise officials auction 2,000 seized vehicles, clear backlog of 5,000 chemical tests

New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) In a push to make administration more effective and functional, the Delhi government's Excise Department auctioned more than 2,000 seized vehicles to generate a revenue of Rs 5 crore and cleared a backlog of 5,000 chemical analysis cases, an official said on Sunday.

The steps are a part of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's efforts for good governance, the official said in a statement.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government's commitment is not limited to formulating schemes, but is also about making the system of governance more transparent, accountable, functional and outcome-oriented.

"Timely disposal of long-pending cases, better utilisation of government resources and faster administrative processes are important steps towards good governance," she added.

"Our clear goal is for the Delhi government to take decisions swiftly, complete pending work on priority and give the highest importance to public interest at every level," she said.

"More than 2,000 vehicles seized under the Delhi Excise Act had been lying for a long time outside police stations and on adjoining public land. To address the issue, the Excise Department undertook a special disposal drive under the Delhi Excise Act. As part of the exercise, the process of seizure and public auction was streamlined and more than 2,000 vehicles were auctioned," the statement said.

"The action has also brought significant economic and administrative benefits. Timely auction of the vehicles helped prevent further depreciation in the value of the seized assets and generated more than Rs 5 crore in revenue for the Delhi government," it said.

"The removal of the vehicles has also freed up space occupied in police station premises and on public land. The process is continuing so that the remaining seized vehicles can be systematically identified and disposed of," it added.

The Excise Department has also undertaken a major administrative overhaul of the functioning of the Excise Control Laboratory. More than 5,000 old chemical analysis cases related to police cases had been pending at the laboratory.

"The department has disposed of all these pending cases, bringing the active backlog down to zero," the statement said.

Earlier, laboratory reports on seized liquor samples could take years to arrive. This often delayed the related police investigations and subsequently affected the legal process.

Faster access to chemical analysis reports is expected to directly benefit enforcement of excise laws and police investigations. 

"According to the department, a faster testing system will strengthen excise enforcement and help develop an effective deterrent against the smuggling of illicit liquor," the statement added.

--IANS

rch/khz