Bihar liquor ban: One lakh litres of alcohol destroyed

Patna: With the enforcement of new liquor policy in the state from Thursday midnight, the excise and prohibition department destroyed 2,66,455 litres of country liquor in Patna district. Thirty specialized teams were formed by the excise office of Patna district for the sole purpose of destroying every drop of country liquor,Assistant excise commissioner, Patna, Krishna Kumar said the 30 teams, each consisting of one excise officer, one police officer and one magistrate, were responsible for the destruction of left-over country liquor, sealing of old shops and taking back the unsold stock of IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) and beer to the Bihar State Beverages Corporation Limited (BSBCL) depots.He said the teams continued to work till the wee hours of Friday for the enforcement of the new liquor policy in the district. He also said that now, with the closure of all old liquor shops, four dedicated teams with officers of excise department along with Patna police have been activated to ensure that illicit liquor is not sold anywhere in Patna district."Our workload has decreased, as now the number of liquor shops has become one- third from April 1 in the district. But at the same time, we have a bigger responsibility to enforce the ban and ensure no one indulges in illegal liquor trade, especially in rural areas," said the assistant excise commissioner."We have granted operating licence for 50 shops in Patna district to BSBCL," said Kumar and added that licence for the rest 71 new liquor shops would be granted within a day. However, he said the permit for these 50 shops were yet to be given to BSBCL, only after which the shops could be opened.Meanwhile, Patna SSP Manu Maharaaj said extra police personnel have been deployed at the police station across the district. He also said that special police teams have been formed and QRTs (quick response teams) for enforcing the ban in rural areas surrounding Patna.