Habitual boozers face tough time

Motihari : Around 15000 habitual boozers, identified recently by district administraiton, have become restless for the last three days after ban on country liquor in East Champaran and they were drinking toddy as its option which was also banned by the government. The new shops of Indian Made Foreign Liquors are yet to be opened .On the other hand the women , school students , police men and social organization are taking out rallies in town and villages to spread awareness against the evils of liquor and shouting slogans in favour of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has taken this historical step to close the country liquor shops.
DM Anupam Kumar has ordered to close all toddy shops and arrest the person who is involve in this business in rural areas.
He said, “If the villagers in group attack on the police raiding parties against bootlegging , places of alcohol consumption and storage of smuggled liquors they would be liable for community fine and cases would be filed against them.”
The East Champaran district is situated on Indo-Nepal border and it shares 85 KMs porous border with Nepal . The police officers suspect the possibility of smuggling of country liquor from
bordering districts of Nepal like Parsa, Bara, Dhanusha, Rautahat in this district by liquor mafias. The administration is working on all aspects to check this smuggling on border.
The Chief District Officers of above districts of Nepal adjoining East and West Champaran districts have assured the D Ms of both districts in a joint meeting held at Birgunj in Nepal to help them to check the liquor smuggling on border.
The liquor mafias may use the Gandak river to supply liquor through boats and the administration has taken step to prevent it through patrolling in river.
Keshav Kumar Jha , excise superintendent of the district said that motor boats are being provided to police for different four rivers in the district to patrol and breathalyzers are being provided to officials of police and excise department . “The vehicles are being searched on all important roads by the excise officials to check the smuggling of liquor,” he said.
The Excise department after a survey has identified 63 villages where illegal manufacturing units were running and all these bhattis were destroyed with the help of police in last month and around 25000 litres liquors were destroyed. But a Ambedkar Nagar village near Chakiya is a chronic one where almost all 150 dalit families were engaged in manufacturing illicit liquor for the last 40 years .”The police is trying to stop this illegal work but it will take time to replace their old habits,” said a source in excise department.