Even as the number of deaths in last week's Malvani hooch tragedy rose above a hundred and shocked the nation, the state excise department has unmasked a racket where duplicate country liquor was filled in bottles and boxes resembling those of a popular brand, and passed off as the original.
Even as the number of deaths in last week's Malvani hooch tragedy rose above a hundred and shocked the nation, the state excise department has unmasked a racket where duplicate country liquor was filled in bottles and boxes resembling those of a popular brand, and passed off as the original.
On Thursday, acting on a tip-off, state excise officials raided a house at Vahegaon village in Aurangabad's Gangapur taluka, where duplicate country liquor was being stockpiled for clandestine sale. The officials unearthed a total of 1,824 bottles of 180 ml each, which were kept in 38 boxes.
“This consignment consists of duplicate liquor. It seems that spirit was mixed and essence added to it to make the brew appear like the original. Similar boxes, caps and labels were also used,” Charansingh Rajput, superintendent, state excise, told dna. He added that they had enquired with the company whose name was printed on the bottles. The wrong batch number printed on these bottles was another give away about the non-authenticity of this liquor, on which no duty was paid.
“The accused said that he had been supplied this liquor from Ahmednagar and hence we have sent a squad there to detect where it was manufactured. Further investigations are underway,” said Rajput.
State excise officials said that more hooch deaths were likely in cases where methanol or methyl alcohol, which is unfit for human consumption, was confused with ethyl alcohol or ethanol (which is potable) and used to manufacture such brews.
They however hastened to add that while many cases of duplicate country liquor being sold had come to light, they had so far not come across one where methanol was mixed in it.
Country liquor is consumed by the poor and toiling classes. After hooch-related deaths in the 1970s, the state government had formulated the country liquor scheme in 1973 to make good quality liquor available to these consumers at cheap rates, and to provide an alternative to hooch.
Since the Malvani hooch tragedy occurred, the state excise department has been cracking down on illicit liquor breweries. In a series of raids that underscore the extent of the illegal liquor trade in Maharashtra, the excise department has unearthed a stash of around 8,000 litres of hooch, which is called hathbhatti or gavthi daru in Marathi, and about 92,000 litres of raw material and wash used to make the brew.
Around 923 people have been arrested by Thursday in 2,038 cases. The department has also seized over 2,185 litres of country liquor which was being sold illegally by bootleggers.
A senior state excise department official said that a huge problem in cracking down on hooch was paucity of manpower. Around 95 of 252 sanctioned posts of inspectors are vacant, while 11 districts in Vidarbha have just four inspectors. Around nine of 36 districts have no superintendents while vacancies stand at almost half the 837 sanctioned posts of sub-inspectors and 48 posts of deputy superintendents.
After 2000, recruitments for constables have taken place only in 2012, which means that many staffers are in the 40 to 50 age group. Their age inhibits their efficiency.
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