In the last seven years, almost 300 people have died consuming illicit liquor. These deaths continue to happen. In the February month of this year, 114 people have lost their lives in Kushinagar and Saharnpur consuming illicit liquor. And there’s a danger of more deaths as the production of country liquor hasn’t stopped as yet.
UP’s Excise department officials too agree that the kind of campaigns needed to stop illicit liquor have not been done so far. This is mainly due to the bad condition of Excise department. According to Excise laws, the department doesn’t have many rights. Excise Police also stops Excise department to do what it wants to curb the flow of illicit liquor.
On an average, every year, the revenue department gives more than 20K crore revenue to the state government. This year, the target of the revenue is 29,302 crore, but still the department has not got enough ammunition to fight against liquor mafias. In this liquor business, there are a big hand mafias and influential people. To tackle all these mafias, the Excise department doesn’t have the required weapons and nor do have the rights. With its limited resources, the department is just a money minting source for the state government.
Although, to curb the production and selling of illicit liquor, the Excise department has special striking force and enforcement team, but these are teeth-less because of limited resources and rights. Both the teams have been provided with CUG mobile phones, but they do not have surveillance right to nab the illicit liquor producers and sellers. This tight is only with the Police.
The government doesn’t even provide cane
The Excise department has special striking force and enforcement team to fight against production and selling of illicit liquor in every district and zone. Excise department has 75 district offices under five zones. Apart from this structure, there are so many striking and enforcement teams, In Assistant Excise commissioner’s control there are two invigilators and four head constables in the special striking force. But the truth of the matter is that to conduct raids, these constables don’t have licensee weapons. The government doesn’t even provide cane to them. Like Haryana, the proposal to open Excise stations has not been taken seriously.
In district level, the Excise department also has an enforcement team. There are two invigilators in the team. Under them, two head constables and three constables are working. But these two invigilators don’t have mobile phone surveillance rights. This team is also devoid of weapons. Also, out of 4902 vacancies, 1149 post are lying vacant. The department also is not keen to fill these vacant posts.
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No inquiry commission
Now and then people die consuming illicit liquor. But to bring the truth behind these deaths, the state government hasn’t set up an inquiry commission so far. The demand to constitute an inquiry commission on the death of 126 people after consuming illicit liquor in Unnao and Malihabad in 2015. No action has been taken on such demand as the attitude towards people consuming illicit liquor has not been good. This is year, 114 people died consuming illicit liquor but the story remains the same.