Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, February 26
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday rejected suggestions of some leaders of the alliance NDA including one of his cabinet colleagues to review the five years old liquor prohibition and said now prohibition would be enforced with renewed vigour.
Addressing the valedictory function of the Bihar Police Meet at Bihar Military Police grounds here, Nitish said there had been some lapses in the implementation of prohibition policy, still it was successful as crime rate has gone down and families were happier.
Nitish advised the police officers to send to jail even those who recommended for the violators of the liquor laws. Their close relatives should also be sent to prisons, he said.
Chief minister said since April 2016 to January 2021, 51.76 lakh litres were seized,38000 vehicles impounded, 2.55 lakh cases filed and 3.49 lakh people arrested for violation of the Bihar Excise Act. However, only 467 were convicted. Among those arrested were 5400 liquor traders. Top liquor smugglers and traders from Assam, Punjab and Haryana have also been arrested and facing trial in special Excise Court at Patna.
Nitish advised the police officers to conduct raids on the illicit liquor traders in team and not individually. He regretted a police sub-inspector was gunned down in an encounter with the liquor trader at Sitamarhi on Indo-Nepal border two days back. Government has announced Rs 20 lakhs as ex-gratia to his family and government job to one of his dependents.
Mukesh Sahni, fisheries and animal husbandry minister, Congress legislature party leader Ashok Kumar Sharma and some senior BJP leaders have demanded review of the prohibition policy claiming it has failed to succeed and was causing huge revenue loss too.
