Spurious liquor has claimed 50 lives in the State during the last 10 years, informed Excise Minister Ashwini Kumar Patra in the State Assembly on Saturday.
Replying to a question by Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja, the Minister said as many as 41 persons had died after consuming spurious liquor in Cuttack district in 2011-12 financial year. Besides, nine deaths were reported in Bhadrak district in 2019-20 due to consumption of spurious liquor.
He stated that the Excise Department issues licences to manufacturers for sell of alcoholic beverages verified by the concerned regulatory bodies.
“If any licensed liquor shop is found manufacturing and selling spurious liquor, the owner is awarded 10-year jail term as per provisions under Section-59 of Odisha Excise Act-2008. Besides, the accused is imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh for the offence. This apart, licence of the concerned liquor trader is cancelled under the Act,” the Minister added.