The Hindu : Excise Department to be made transparent: Minister

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 14, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Excise Department to be made transparent: Minister

By Our Special Correspondent

KOCHI, FEB. 13. The new Excise Minister, K.V. Thomas, has said that the functioning of the Excise Department will be made more transparent.

Talking to presspersons here today, he said a meeting of Excise officials would be convened in Thiruvananthapuram on January 16.

The Minister said he would have to study various commissions' reports on liquor deaths in the State. Talks would be held with prohibition activists and others before introducing reforms in the department. However, top priority would be given to prevention of liquor tragedies. Excise, he said, was a `sensitive' department and all policy decisions would be taken with the consensus of the Cabinet.

He said he had taken up the reins of the new Ministry in deference to the wishes of the party leadership. The party was more important than the individual, he added.

Prof. Thomas said he had never said anything that could hurt the senior Congress leader, K. Karunakaran, or his daughter, Padmaja Venugopal. It was Mr. Karunakaran who had helped him at a crucial time when politically-motivated cases were filed against him, he added.

To another question, he said that Ernakulam Parliamentary seat would be wrested from the LDF this time .He said that more than group considerations, the winning chance of the candidate should be the prime criterion for selection of candidates in the Lok Sabha polls.

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