Liquor testing lab opened by Excise Minister in Visakhapatnam

Deputy CM Narayana Swamy laid foundation stone for ₹20 crore Excise Dept. complex in Anandapuram. He also inaugurated a lab to test alcoholic & narcotic products at ₹2.50 crore. Industries Minister Amarnath said CM Jagan Mohan Reddy will launch more projects in Visakhapatnam. Subba Reddy said ₹100 crore will be invested in Bheemili Assembly segment. Excise Dept. HQ to be shifted here.

Deputy Chief Minister and Prohibition & Excise Minister K. Narayana Swamy laid the foundation stone for the building of A.P. State Prohibition & Excise Department and AP Beverages Corporation, at Gorinta village in Anandapuram mandal of the district.

The complex will be built at a cost of ₹20 crore in an extent of five acres. It is close to NH-16 and is located 20 km from the city.

The Excise Minister also inaugurated a laboratory that can test portable alcoholic products and narcotic drugs like ganja. The lab will also certify alcoholic products at the production-level before being supplied to retail units and bars across the State. The lab was built at a cost of ₹2.50 crore on the Andhra University campus, near the Collector’s bungalow. The government tied up with Perkin Elmer to supply the requisite material and instruments for the testing of alcohol and narcotic products.

Earlier, addressing the gathering at the foundation ceremony, the Excise Minister said that the State government was committed to developing Visakhapatnam on par with any other developed city in the country. The Excise Department’s complex in Anandapuram would be a step in this direction, he said.

Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath said that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy would launch more such mega projects soon in Visakhapatnam, particularly in the Bheemili Assembly segment. The Excise complex would create employment opportunities, he said.

YSRCP regional coordinator Y.V. Subba Reddy said that the government would invest another ₹100 crore by launching projects in the Bheemili Assembly segment soon.

The Bheemili MLA said that the government compensated ₹28 crore to the farmers who gave lands to the APIIC for projects. Excise sources said that the government will shift the department’s headquarters here.