PNS
 

 
Acting tough against illegal liquor trade, the Excise department from Seraikela-Kharsawan and East Singhbhum districts carried out a joint raid over an illicit country-made liquor manufacturing unit at Sapra village under Adityapur police station area of the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district.
 
While carrying out the raid, the Excise officials destroyed as many as eight units and seized over 10,000 kgs of ‘mahua’ seeds from the illicit distillery owned allegedly by one Shiva Mondal.
 
The team also seized 200 litres of ready liquor besides seizing a large number of drums, and liquor-manufacturing equipment from the spot.
 
Ajay Kumar, Excise superintendent, Seraikela-Kharsawan who led the raid said that they had information that illicit liquor traders were manufacturing country-made liquor at a huge level in Sapra village.  As many as 30 Excise officials participated in the joint raid which continued for three hours from 8 am today.
 
The senior Excise officer pointed out that such raids will continue and called upon the people to inform the department if they come across any illicit liquor manufacturing unit in one’s locality.
 
Officials informed that the State Excise Department has initiated a stringent drive against illegally manufactured illicit country-made liquor in the city. Sources informed that the department kicked off the drive in order to check the substantial revenue loss to the state exchequer.
 
The department will send the samples of both IMFL and the country-made liquor to a Ranchi-based laboratory for testing whether the stuff being sold was fit for human consumption.
 
He stated that the surprise inspection will continue even during the night and if any shop-owner is found selling the duplicate liquor, then he will stand to face the music.
 
At Jamshedpur there are 98 Indian Make Foreign Liquor (IMFL) licensed shops, 51 country-made liquor shops and 15 spicy liquor shops. Notably, the steel city has a history of manufacturing duplicate liquor as the district police had in the past busted several rackets of duplicate liquor manufacturing units, especially from the localities like Bagbera, Jugsalai and Kadma.
 
Another official noted that illicit liquor is a hugely profitable industry where bootleggers pay no taxes and sell enormous quantities of their product. He said that there is a need to restrict extensive abuse of the intoxicant in order to reduce untoward incidents in the society. He also sought cooperation from all sections of the society in the efforts to reduce and restrict abuse of liquor.