There are about 31 distilleries in Keonjhar district. There number was confined to only four a decade back. These are enough to flood the district, both rural and urban areas, with wine.
The situation has come to such a pass that now wine is available in every villages. Its penetration into the rural and far-flung areas has boosted the sale of wine in every nook and corner. Ask even a betel shop for wine, you’ll get it.
Added to them, about 54 Indian Made Foreign liquor (IMFl) shops, officially permitted, give a complete picture of the spread of liquor in the tribal-prone Keonjhar district.
The Excise department is obsessed with annual revenue target and has undermined its original mandate of curbing intoxication as a social evil. “Such ideas are too ‘Gandhian’ and therefore, not practical, in a mineral belt area like this,” the authorities say. The “Bhatti” contractors and their henchmen in the units are all from outside the State.
They operate on ‘shady’ and unwritten subcontracts from plots near villages. Interestingly, nine units are owned by enlightened and educated women. With the help of hired muscle men, they have been successfully marketing country liquor.
They have weaned the hard working tribal men and women away from traditional drink ‘Handia’, a much less harmful family brew from fermented rice, which gives them food, energy, and nutrition besides very mild intoxication and get addicted to liquor both foreign and country.
The increased revenue from country liquor is actually a myth. Only revenue of about Rs 5 crore was earned annually by the Excise authorities vis-a-vis Rs 600 crore of mineral royalty.
However, in the long run, increasing addiction to liquor had been bringing about a whole range of adverse effects on the predominantly poor tribal society. Absenteeism in work place, road accidents, family squabbles, diseases, faster aging, and several crimes, among others, are the scourge of the increasing addiction to liquor.
Kendujhar Citizens’ Forum has repeatedly requested the policy makers not to equate Keonjhar with the coastal and southern districts where liquor habits are different and liquor poisoning is routine.
Even the left extremists have stern views on the evils of country liquor on their predominantly vulnerable tribal society and have routinely threatened the distillers with dire consequences. But, the Government protects the distillers and gives them permits to open more shops.
This is an unacceptable anomaly. Women and children protesting the opening of distilleries is a routine event in the district. The forum has appealed the Chief Minster to intervene in the matter.