Bihar ban fuels liquor sale rise in border districts

Ranchi: Nine of the 10 districts along the Jharkhand-Bihar border have registered a growth in sale of all types of liquor in the first month after the negbouring state imposed total prohibition on April 5. Giridih recorded a rise of 20,000 litre of liquor sales in April 2016 compared to April 2015, Deoghar registered a rise of 5,000 litre and Chatra 4,000 litre .
The growth in bordering districts is significant because several other districts of Jharkhand have registered a decline in liquor sale - 5,000 litre decline in foreign liquor and around 2 lakh litre decline in countrymade liquor."It is striking that the bordering districts have registered a growth in the first month after the Bihar ban. The overall sale of IMFL and countrymade liquor has dropped in the state in the first month of the financial year," an excise department official not authorized to speak to the media said.
Total sale of liquor in April 2016 is 11.93 lakh in the state. According to official excise department figure, Giridih registered a growth of around 20,000 litre foreign liquor (total sale of 62186 litres) Deoghar 5,000 litre (39,944 litre), Chatra 4,100 litre (15,914 litre), Palamu 3,900 liter (43,358 litre), Hazaribag 3,400 liter (56,455 litre), Koderma 6,000 litre (30,047 litre), Sahebganj 2,100 litre (18,934 litre), Dumka 3,384 liter (26,411 litre), 531 liter in Godda (17,032 litre) and Garhwa a decline of 1,736 litre (14,494 litres).
The growth is despite 780 raids conducted in the state since April 5 to check illegal sale and storage of liquor throughout Jharkhand. "Many people from Bihar travel to bordering districts in Jharkhand to drink. Highways hotels located close to the Bihar border are drawing more crowds of tipplers," said Ranchi-based liquor trader Aditya Vikram Jaiswal, who is also a member of All India Distillers Association.
Regular travelers in the last one month have found highway hotels close to Bihar border to be more crowded. Hazaribag, Koderma, Dumka, Chatra, Palamu and Giridih are well connected with Bihar by road. "The vigil on the border has been extended and it is not easy for people to smuggle liquor. A decline in the vigil will lead to a growth of smuggling and increase in sale," an official in excise department said.
Because the issue involves both Bihar and Jharkhand, officials occupying top positions in excise department are often reluctant to share the data let alone talk at length on the subject. Excise department secretary Satendra Singh said the department has conducted several raids to ensure that there is zero smuggling of liquor from Jharkhand to Bihar. The portfolio of excise department is with chief minister Raghubar Das himself. "The Bihar government asked us for help after implementing the ban in Bihar. They should have consulted us before going ahead with the ban," Das said at a press conference on Tuesday.