AMRITSAR: The indigenous production of illicit liquor by residents of villages in the rural belt is another cause of concern. On Saturday, the Amritsar rural police confiscated a huge quantity of liquor being smuggled to the city. The police arrested a person and impounded his four-wheeler in which he was smuggling liquor. The police seized 191 bottles of liquor from his possession.
Police officials admit that a number of residents are habitual of consuming country-made liquor produced in villages. This results in losses to the liquor contractors in village and leads to smuggling and subsequent clashes between liquor contractors of rural and urban belt.
Even as psychiatrists dealing with de-addiction of drug addicts consider liquor as a gateway to the morass of drug abuse, the state government and the law enforcing agencies have failed to check the smuggling of liquor into urban areas from the rural belt or the neighbouring districts.
The indigenous production of illicit liquor by villagers in the rural belt is another cause of concern.
Yesterday, the Amritsar rural police confiscated a huge quantity of liquor being smuggled to the city. The police arrested a person and impounded his four-wheeler in which he was smuggling liquor. The police seized 191 bottles of liquor from his possession.
It is turning out to be a major law and order problem in the district as bootlegging had led to clashes and firing between musclemen of the rival groups in the past.
Recently, an alleged liquor smuggling bid led to a road mishap on Jhabal Road in mid October in which six persons were injured.
Ten days later, the suspects who were booked by the police for causing the accident, produced mobile clipping which showed the seizure of liquor from the vehicles involved in the accident.
As per the police authorities claim, the difference of selling price in the rural belt as compared to the city areas was the root cause behind the smuggling of liquor.
The rates of liquor are cheaper in the rural belt.
Police officials admit that a number of residents are habitual of consuming country-made liquor produced in villages. This results in losses to the liquor contractors in village and leads to smuggling and subsequent clashes between liquor contractors of rural and urban belt.
Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh while admitting the problem said the Police Department had arrested a number of persons involved in the bootlegging inside the city.
He said the department was aware of the problem and stringent measures had been taken to curb such incidents.
Another police official preferring anonymity said it needed coordinated efforts between city police and Amritsar rural police in order to nail the smuggling of liquor.
Though it is not a new phenomenon, there is certainly a spurt in the liquor smuggling cases.
Amritsar rural police chief said the department had been on its toes and had made significant seizures in the past.
He said in the recent past, the Mehta police confiscated huge quantity of liquor being smuggled from Batala or Hoshiarpur.
They were leaving no stone unturned to stem the problem, he added.
Allegedly, these liquor contractors and their musclemen also have patronage of political parties due to which they went scot-free in the past.
