Bihar govt fails to give date for total liquor ban

Patna: CM Nitish Kumar on Friday said his government was committed to imposing a total ban on liquor in Bihar, but this would be done in a phasewise manner. In the first phase beginning April 1, 2016, total ban would be imposed on the sale, manufacture and consumption of countrymade liquor and spiced liquor. But the CM didn’t specify any deadline for the ban on Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) to be effective.
After the cabinet meeting here, Nitish told media under the new excise policy, the sale of IMFL would be restricted to nagar parishad and municipal areas only. With the ban on countrymade and spiced liquor, 90% liquor shops would shut down. DMs and SPs would be held jointly responsible for illegal sale and purchase of countrymade liquor in the state.
For proper implementation of the prohibition policy, the state government has set up a committee under the chairmanship of state chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh. The director general of police and allied department heads would be members of the committee. “If necessary, the government will strengthen the excise department with additional manpower,” the CM said.
“A toll-free number will soon be released for those who want to complain about the illegal sale and manufacture of any kind of liquor in any part of the state,” he added.
“Now a government agency – Bihar State Beverage Corporation – will be engaged in sale of IMFL in the state So far, the corporation was engaged in wholesale business of liquor; now it will be engaged in retail trade too to check illegal sales”, CM Nitish said.
All IMFL shops would be put under CCTV surveillance. State development commissioner will monitor them. Now, all ‘on-wine’ shops, where people could not only buy liquor but also consume it, would be closed; only ‘off-wine’ shop would exist, he said, adding the government is not worried about the huge revenue loss, put at around Rs 4000-5000 crore.
The CM said the government would launch an awareness campaign against alcoholism, in which anganwadi and ASHA workers, self-help groups’ members and teachers would be engaged. De-addiction centre would be set up in each district HQ for treatment of alcoholics.
Chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh told TOI all distilleries in the state will now switch to ethanol production.
BOX
Total sanctioned liquor shops: 5467
Composite liquor shops in rural areas: 2486
Countrymade liquor shops in blocks and urban areas: 1547
IMFL shops in urban areas: 656
IMFL shops in rural areas: 778