Excise dept creating confusion over toddy, says Pasi forum

Patna: The All Indian Pasi Community (AIPC) on Saturday accused excise department principal secretary KK Pathak of creating confusion over the sale of toddy in Bihar leading to unnecessary police action against members of the community.
Addressing a presser, AIPC (Bihar) president Jagdish Chaudhary said the state police should be instructed not to harass the Pasis.He also said people were trying to get political mileage over toddy issue. "Some people claimed the AIPC has called for a protest meeting on Monday, which is not true," he said.
AIPC (Bihar) working president Surendra Kumar Chaudhary said the state government's intention regarding the sale of toddy is not clear despite knowing that the Pasis earn their livelihood by selling toddy. He also said the officials, in the guise of liquor ban in the state, are partial against the people in toddy business.
Jaglal Chaudhary Smriti Sansthan president Bihari Prasad said the letter issued by Pathak on April 5 mentions the places where sale of toddy is prohibited under rule-47 of the notification brought on April 1, 1991, but it is not mentioned anywhere that where it could be sold. "Police and excise department officials are taking advantage of the language used in the letter and they are harassing the Pasis. A new letter must be issued by the department clearly mentioning that toddy could be sold at such and such places," he said.
Umakant Chaudhary of the AIPC said there are around 20 lakh Pasis in the state, mostly in Nawada, Gaya and Madhubani districts. He said there are around 10 lakh palm trees in Nawada and 5.5 lakh in Warisaliganj. He said in the 1970s, chocolates, jaggery, nirola drink and other products were manufactured from toddy in Bihar and even toys were also made using the palm leaves. "Khadi Udgyog continued this till 1984. Later, the state government stopped all these schemes and the Pasis remained backward," said Umakant, adding that if the state government has the willpower, these toddy by-products could be produced again in the state.