The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : More funds needed to implement arrack ban

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 18, 2007
ePaper

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

More funds needed to implement arrack ban

K.V. Subramanya

BANGALORE: The State Government's decision to ban sale of arrack from April 1, makes it imperative to strengthen the Police and Excise departments in Bangalore Rural district.

Even as he announced the ban, Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Friday said the move could increase illicit distillation and sale of spurious liquor. He announced that Rs. 50 crore would be earmarked for vehicles, communication gadgets and to recruit additional staff to the Police and Excise departments. While allocating the funds, Bangalore Rural district should be accorded priority as hooch and fake Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) are a well-organised business in the district.

Medi Mallasandra, Matta Mallasandra, Sankalipura, Kattegehalli and Bylanarsapura in Hoskote taluk and Adigarakallahalli in Anekal taluk are notorious for the illicit arrack business.

The illicit distillation in these villages is said to cause the Excise Department a revenue loss of Rs. 50 crore a year.

Excise officials say on an average these centres manufactured 10,000 cases each of fake IMFL and arrack daily and supplied them to liquor shops and bars in Bangalore city and Bangalore Rural district. Apart from revenue loss, several people have died in Bangalore Rural district after consuming toxic hooch.

The officials told The Hindu that despite frequent raids, such illicit distillation units flourished in the district and they could not do much about it.

Even the police were hesitant to enter these villages fearing reprisals from the anti-social elements involved in the trade.

There have been many instances of Excise and Police personnel being attacked by armed gangs at Bylanarsapura and Kattegehalli.

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