The excise department has launched a drive to check sale of illicit and spurious liquor before Holi. Sale and transportation of liquor has been banned on March 27 and 28.
Police have intensified vigil in the district while the excise department has started surprise checks of stocks at licensed liquor shops. They are also keeping an eye on any back-door sales.
Singhbhum Assistant Commissioner (Excise) Rakesh Kumar said he has asked his officers to carry out random inspection and ensure whether liquor was being sold over the counter has the same batch number that liquor shop owners have listed in papers to the department.
“During Holi, sale of liquor from retail shops goes up manifold. It has been seen from records that just during 48 hours before the festival of colour, liquor shop owners sell goods worth over `5 crore. Ordinarily, sales hardly cross the `1 crore mark in two days.
Taking advantage, some unscrupulous shop owners tend to sell spurious liquor,” said Kumar. Inspection is expected to continue through the night.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (law & Order) Kanhaiya Upadhyay said the police department is prepared to render all support to the excise department.
Jamshedpur has 98 licensed shops selling Indian made foreign liquor (IMFl), 51 dealing in country-made liqour and 15 others. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, tipplers rushed to stock up for the dry days.