Every day, truckloads of liquor are smuggled from Haryana to other states, particularly where prohibition is enforced, in connivance with the authorities, writes Pawan Kumar Bansal
About four decades ago, nearly one hundred persons died and an equal number were blinded by consuming spurious liquor at Narwana and Kalanwali towns of Haryana. The issue was raised in Lok Sabha by MP Maniram Bagri resulting in resignation of then Excise and Taxation Minister, Balwant Rai Tayal and suspension of then Narwana DSP Sitaram Sharma who had tipped off the owner of liquor vends about impending raid and he had escaped after destroying the stock of spurious liquor. Since then, liquor mafia has emerged very powerful and trade is being run in a foolproof manner.
The practice of smuggling of liquor, illegal sale of liquor and pilferage of liquor in a clandestine manner from the godowns, where the licensee had stocked their liquor, as well as from some godowns, where the Excise Department had kept the seized stock of illegal liquor, continued even during the Covid-19 pandemic period when there was complete lockdown in the State
The Special Enquiry Team headed by IAS officer TC Gupta, constituted to probe the allegations of sale of liquor in a clandestine manner and pilferage of liquor from the godowns of licensees which was smuggled outside the state during the Covid-19 lockdown period, has mentioned how it has happened with the connivance of the police and the Excise Department. Although the constitution of above team was also mere eye wash as it has neither the power to summon any one or seize the record under the CrPC.
It is learnt that the Excise Department had refused to supply the information sought by the team. Highly placed sources said that a powerful minister in the cabinet of Chief Minister Manohar Lal had taken all the relevant record from the office of Excise and Taxation Commissioner. The SET has recommended deeper probe and action against at least a dozen senior offices of the Excise Department for their dubious role, in its report submitted a year ago but the government is yet to take any follow up action.
There are about one dozen distilleries and bottling plants in the state which manufacture liquor. Under the very nose of police and Excise Department officers, trucks of liquor are taken from these distilleries and liquor is smuggled to other states, particularly, Gujarat and Bihar, where it fetches the smugglers good price due to prohibition enforced there while depriving the state of excise duty.
