Alappuzha: The excise department has allegedly collected over Rs 100 crores as cess for the toddy board, which is yet to commence operations. The cess was collected from contractors running toddy shops at a arte of Rs 2 per litre of toddy, spanning a period of 18 months. Considering that Kerala sells over 10 lakh litres of toddy daily, the excise department was able to accumulate around Rs 20 lakhs per day in recent months, totaling almost Rs 108 crores within 18 months. The contractors made these payments in three phases, once in every six months.

The board technically had to begin functioning by February 25, 2021. But the excise department has not acted upon this so far. Meanwhile, union leaders alleged foul play by excise officials in the incident.