Pune liquor deaths expose State Govt negligence: Congress

The recent Pune liquor tragedy, which resulted in 22 deaths, has exposed the Maharashtra Government’s failure to implement recommendations made in 2015 after a much bigger incident in Malvani in north Mumbai, Congress leader Sachin Sawant said on Friday.

The Pune incident is a consequence of the Government’s negligence, the Congress national secretary said, adding that action taken against 26 personnel from the police, excise and other departments was inadequate and did not address the larger issue of systemic failures.

“What happened to the recommendations of the Malvani committee? The Devendra Fadnavis Government must disclose this. The Pune hooch tragedy is not merely a failure of the local administration, but a test of whether the Government has learnt any lessons from previous disasters,” he told reporters. After the incident in Malvani, in which 106 persons died, the State Government had formed a committee under the chief secretary to suggest measures to curb the manufacture and sale of illicit liquor, and the Home Department had issued directions on February 17, 2022, to all departments to implement the committee’s recommendations, he said.

These included stricter control over methanol production and transportation, coordinated action by police and excise authorities against illicit liquor units, and stronger measures against organised criminal networks involved in the trade, he said.

“Despite these recommendations, such incidents continue to occur, which means the State Government has failed across departments,” Sawant said while questioning the preparedness of authorities to deal with hooch-related emergencies.

Pointing out that the committee had recommended standard operating procedures, antidote stockpiles and training for doctors and healthcare personnel, the Congress leader asked whether hospitals treating victims of the Pune tragedy had adequate medicines and trained staff available.

Enforcement agencies appear to act only after major tragedies, he said, citing raids conducted on methanol stockpiles and illicit distilleries in places such as Bhiwandi following the Pune incident. “Had the recommendations made after the Malvani tragedy been effectively implemented, could the Pune Sawant demanded that the Government place in the public domain a detailed status report on the implementation of every recommendation made by the Malvani committee and explain the reasons for delays in carrying out pending measures.