ELIMINATION OF ILLICIT LIQUOR Excise Police claim operation ‘success’

With belt shops selling a quarter bottle of liquor at a  price between Rs 120 and 150, people have been increasingly turning to illicitly-distilled arrack. Despite the officials targeting those engaged in illicit brewing of arrack in villages and tribal hamlets, it is making a comeback again and again after a gap.
The illicit distilled arrack has been finding its way from villages and tribal hamlets into towns and cities posing a huge challenge to the Excise and police officials who are busy waging a fight against drugs.
The 100-day Operation Gudumba launched in some chosen Assembly constituencies concluded on Friday. For 100 days, the operation was conducted in 72 villages of Huzurnagar and Devarakonda Assembly constituencies.
Special teams conducted raids on the dens in which illicit brewing of arrack took place in remote villages. The operation was termed successful. For the illicit distillation of arrack to come to an end, the Excise officials say, the prices of ordinary liquor should be reduced drastically.
In the 100-day operation, a total of 350 cases were registered as part of the exercise. In all, as many as 240 persons were arrested. In all, 1,236 ID arrack dens had been destroyed, 51,944 liters of fermented jaggery wash had been destroyed and 8,038 kg of jaggery was seized. Besides, 40 vehicles were seized. Since there are no curbs placed in AP on the transportation of jaggery, jaggery is being smuggled into Telangana state from Jaggayyapeta to Devarakonda via Macharla and Huzurnagar.
The Excise police conducted raids as part of special operations in 32 villages of Huzurnagar constituency and 40 tribal thandas in Devarakonda constituency. Three teams have been deployed as part of the special operations. Nalgonda district Excise superintendent B Santosh said that 90 per cent of the illicitly distilled arrack vanished from the district. Check-posts near interstate borders have been strengthened to prevent smuggling of jaggery.
Excise officials felt that it was difficult to keep a constant watch on the illicit liquor with the existing staff. It is necessary to strengthen the Excise Police force. The officials demand increasing prices of premium liquor prices and reduce the prices of ordinary liquor prices for checking the brewing of illicitly-distilled arrack. Moreover, it will also increase revenue to the state government, they said.