Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Punjab assembly elections 2012: Illicit liquor flows freely as political parties seeks to lure voters by Viney Sharma

Punjab assembly elections 2012: Illicit liquor flows freely as political parties seeks to lure voters by Viney Sharma

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Jan 30, 2012   modified Modified on Jan 30, 2012

The Election Commission's model code of conduct notwithstanding, liquor flowed freely on the eve of assembly polls in Punjab on Sunday, as campaign managers of different political parties sought to lure voters. 

This was especially the case in and around the industrial city of Ludhiana, where more than a million migrant workers abound in Sherpur, Samrala Chowk, Mullanpur and Dhaka colony, among other areas. 

Residents in the city said liquor was brought in and hoarded for the occasion over the past several months. Liquor had been smuggled into the city from the neighbouring Himachal Pradesh and capital Chandigarh in trucks carrying sand, agriculture residue and concrete, they said. 

Political parties indulged in this illegal activity despite several cases having been registered against candidates from various parties. Just two days earlier, for example, a case was registered against Congress party's candidate Rajinder Beri from Jalandhar central assembly seat on charges of distributing free liquor to voters. The police seized another 7,000 cases in Jalandhar the same day, even as it did not accuse any specific party. 

An FIR has also been registered against Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Bibi Jagir Kaur, a two-time former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee President who is contesting from the Bholath assembly constituency. As many as 183 boxes of liquor were allegedly recovered from the truck of Bibi Jagir Kaur. 

So far, the police have confiscated 31,947 litres of illicit liquor and 697,106 bottles of country-made liquor. Among other seizures, the police have confiscated 99 kg opium, 23.05 kg heroin, 227,588 kg of lahan, a narcotic, and 71 arms. The cash seizures stand at Rs 33.66 crore. 

"It would be difficult to put a figure to the number of complaints pertaining to liquor distribution, but it was very much on the expected lines," said Special Chief Electoral Officer Punjab Usha Sharma, and claimed, "We have installed CCTV cameras at all distilleries and bottling plants to check smuggling. The usage is very much within limits." 

However, a liquor contractor told ET on condition of anonymity that liquor is mainly smuggled from the distilleries only. "Even if they pass four trucks per day for a month, it's enough for political parties," he said. Chandigarh-based liquor vends have also witnessed a jump in sales in the run-up to the polls. 

In all, 180 trucks of liquor come out of 30 distilleries every day across Punjab. Each truck has 400 cases. This translates to 72,000 cases per day. Excise collection has increased from Rs 1,363 crore in 2007 to Rs 2,500 crore in 2010-11. The state government aims to raise Rs 3,190.49 crore by the end of this fiscal. Excise officials peg the market for country liquor at Rs 250 crore a month in the state.


The Economic Times, 30 January, 2012, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/punjab-assembly-elections-2012-illicit-liquor-flows-freely-as-political-parties-seeks-to-lure-voters/arti


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close