Mangaluru : Dakshina Kannada district ranks third in collection of excise revenue, by contributing Rs. 1,388 crore during 2014-15, it’s eighth in volume of sales that indicates consumption.

Rural areas, having just 33 per cent of the total liquor outlets (out of 446), contributed to 52 per cent of the total liquor sales while urban areas with 67 per cent of the outlets, registered 48 per cent during the year, said George Pinto, Deputy Commissioner of Excise, Dakshina Kannada.

Mr. Pinto told reporters here on Tuesday that higher tax collection despite lesser volumes was due to sale of larger quantities of costly liquor that attract more duty. While costly liquor was sold predominantly in urban areas, cheaper liquor dominated rural areas, he added.

Despite severe staff shortage, as low as one third of the ground staff ensured that the department was able to achieve more than 90 per cent of the target, the official said.

The department conducted 1,885 road inspections and 34,653 vehicle inspections in the year, particularly to check illegal transportation of liquor from Goa.

Also, 5,948 inspections were carried out to check whether the licensed liquor outlets of different categories were functioning properly, Mr. Pinto said.

While the revenue target fixed for the department at the State level was Rs. 13,850 crore, the district could collect Rs. 1,388 crore. Over 25 lakh crates of Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) and 17.26 lakh crates of beer were sold in the district realising Rs. 973 crore revenue. Rs. 340 crore revenue was collected from one distillery and one brewery located in the district. Fines and arrears of fines collected amounted to nearly Rs. 1 crore, he said.

The department has taken up realising arrears of dues, which were deemed impossible to recover and collected Rs. 25 lakh in nine cases. In one case, where a sitting Rajya Sabha Member of Andhra Pradesh owes about Rs. 60 lakh dues, the department got his property in Hyderabad attached.

He paid Rs. 20 lakh following direction from the Karnataka High Court and the department is hopeful of recovering the entire dues.