Prohibition in Chanda a flop show

Chandrapur: The BJP-Shiv Sena government enforced prohibition in Chandrapur district with much fanfare last year. It was listed as one of the most important achievements of the government in first 100 days. However, a visit to Chandrapur district shows nothing has changed so far as availability of liquor is concerned. On the other hand, anti-liquor activists are being attacked and threatened with alarming regularity. TOI talked to a number of people in the district only to find out that liquor was freely available for those who ready to pay an extra buck.
Pradip Deshmukh, district president of social organization Prahaar, is so frustrated that he is wondering why the government enforced it at all if it was not serious about it. “Prohibition in Chandrapur is at a very sensitive juncture. If the government does not wake up, the opponents of liquor ban in Yavatmal and Ahmednagar districts will get enough ammunition to block the demand for prohibition. Moreover, bootleggers are becoming powerful by the day and if not controlled they will soon be running a parallel government,” he said.
“If the administration wants it can easily crack down on illegal liquor trade. This happened for the first two months then things went slack. The state government is also to blame. It neither provided additional force nor set up any forensic laboratory,” he added.
Sangita Wadhai, a social worker on whom acid was thrown for providing cops tip off about a liquor cache, alleged the police were hands in glove with the bootleggers. “They were not even ready to arrest my assailant. It was only after our sarpanch intervened that the police acted. The government is not doing anything and hence the illegal liquor trade is flourishing. Both country liquor and IMFL are freely available in villages,” she said.
The acid attack has scared the Wadhai couple and they are not sure whether they will continue the campaign. Not a single government official bothered to meet Sangita, who is being treated at Chandrapur’s civil hospital.
Another social worker Maya Mankar claimed liquor mafia had gained footing in Ambedkar Nagar, Babupeth, immediately after liquor ban in district last year. “People from across the city and neighbouring villages come to our ward late in the night seeking illegally sold liquor. Many are in inebriated condition and often knock on wrong houses,” she said adding that a memorandum in this regard had been submitted to the SP.
Deepak Jaiswal, advisor to Chandrapur District Liquor Association (CDLA), is equally emphatic in saying the prohibition had failed completely.
“The police are seizing illegal liquor almost every day. In spite of this, liquor is freely available here. In Khanjar Mohalla, women and kids are selling liquor. The government should have done a survey of Wardha and Gadchiroli districts before banning liquor here. We feel a committee under a retired judge or retired senior IAS officer should be constituted and effectiveness of prohibition in the three districts should be examined. The truth will come out and then the government can decide whether to continue prohibition,” he said.
Jaiswal also questioned why the government was allowing Ordnance Factory canteens to sell liquor. He demanded that the Deccan Odyssey train not be allowed to enter Chandrapur district as it had a bar. “Why should there be special rules for tourists,” he asked.
Common people also felt prohibition was a sham. Mohan Dhankar, a Chandrapur resident, told TOI, “Those who want liquor are getting it. They have contacts. Frankly speaking many people are not happy with the ban.”
SP Sandeep Diwan held that the police had done a commendable job in the last one year but there was lot of scope for improvement. “As far as conviction is concerned, it was zero till 2014 but last year we got eight convictions. Three were sent to jail while five had to pay a fine. Police are stressing on preventive measures. There is substantial reduction in crime rate and non-cognizable offences related to domestic disputes. Road accidents have also come down,” he said.
BOX 1
ACTION AGAINST VIOLATORS IN 2015-16
Offences related to illegal liquor sale | 6716
Number of persons arrested | 8284
Number of persons convicted | 8
Quantity of liquor seized and cost | 1.50 lakh litres worth Rs 12.23 crore
Number of vehicles seized | 394 cars, 1344 two-wheelers
Number of people booked for drunken driving | 1169
BOX 2
Liquor Free Market Black Market
Mild beer big bottle 110 250
McDowell No 1 Nip 135 250
Officer’s Choice Nip 105 200
Blender’s Pride Nip 200 350
Blender’s Pride Full 950 1500
Antiquity Full 1100 1600
Officer’s Choice Full 450 1000
McDowell No 1 Bumper 600 1200
Country Liquor Nip 50 150