Excise Dept. to set up Special Ops Room

The Excise Department which regulates all laws pertaining to the sale, possession and production of liquor will set up its first Special Operations Room at its headquarters before June this year, sources said.

A fully-fledged round the clock Special Operations Room linked to a dedicated communications network throughout the country will be set up at the Excise Headquarters in Narahenpita.

Excise Spokesman Deputy Commissioner Kapila Kumarasinghe told Daily Mirror yesterday that according to the instructions of the Ministry of Finance, the Special Ops Room will be set up to upgrade and streamline the department’s current law enforcement activities.

He said the new unit would be similar to that of the operation rooms maintained by Sri Lanka Police and the three forces linking up with their respective divisional stations and camps to obtain instant and updated information to the headquarters.

“We are expecting to achieve three main objectives by establishing this special ops room, which is to grant the people a corridor to provide information leading to instances of violation of the Excise law and to lodge complaints. It will also give technical assistance and guidance to those involved in the involved in the manufacture and sale of liquor and thirdly to be used as a source of legal advice and instructions to our officials based countrywide,” Mr. Kumarasinghe said.

He said discussions were being currently carried out with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Defence and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) to get this project launched before June this year.

The department also hopes to set up a special four digit 24-hour telephone hot-line for before the end of April for the public to provide information and complaints.

“The TRCSL will provide us with a four digit telephone hot-line so that we could receive public information and complaints round the clock like the Police Department or the Fire Brigade,” Mr. Kumarasinghe said.

The new projects were being carried out under the guidance of recently appointed Excise Commissioner General H.G. Sumanasinghe.(Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana)