Facing criticism over its ‘failed prohibition’ policy, the Nitish Kumar regime has now decided to make the law more stringent and open police stations in houses and godowns used for liquor storage.
The Bihar Government initiated this with the opening of a Bypass Police Station on the campus of a huge godown on the outskirts of the state capital from where a large consignment of liquor was seized during a raid recently.
To strictly enforce prohibition, the Nitish regime has also decided to take over and auction properties used for liquor storage or consumption.
“Over 3.46 lakh people have been arrested for liquor ban violation in the state since prohibition was enforced in April 2016,” said Bihar’s Excise, Registration and Prohibition Minister Sunil Kumar.
“In the last five years, 15,000 vehicles have been confiscated. Besides, 53 lakh litres of country-made liquor and 97 lakh litres of India-made foreign liquor (IMFL) were seized,” the minister said on the floor of the House.
The Nitish regime has consistently faced flak over the prohibition policy as smuggling of liquor from other states has continued unabated ever since the policy was enforced in Bihar five years ago.
Assuring speedy trial of those found in violation, the retired IPS-turned-Minister Sunil Kumar said that till now 186 cops and other officials had been dismissed from service while 60 Station House Officers (SHOs) have been banned from posting at police stations. These punishments should serve as a deterrent to those violating prohibition law, the minister opined.
The minister said that tourists' inflow in Bihar has remained unaffected due to prohibition. “The statistics between 2015 and 2019 show that the tourists inflow increased by 21 per cent,” Kumar stated.
Published 10 March 2021, 13:25 IST