Bihar to bank on geotagging, drone surveillance to curb liquor smuggling

Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar has decided to opt for special measures like drone surveillance, geotagging and digital mapping to put an end to the liquor menace in the state. Illicit liquor and hooch tragedies have been stalking the dry state, raising questions over the efficacy of the law banning liquor in the state.

Patna: In an attempt to curb the liquor menace and hooch tragedies in 'dry' Bihar, the excise and liquor prohibition department have ironed out a new special operating procedure. The state government and the administration have decided to bank on geotagging, drone surveillance and digital mapping in places where a huge quantity of liquor is seized in the state.

The state implemented the Bihar Excise and Prohibition Act came on April 5, 2016. But hooch deaths and seizure of illegal liquor continue to grab headlines, raising several questions over the efficacy of the law.

Police officials believe that geotagging, drone surveillance and digital mapping will provide swift specific inputs about the illegal smuggling of liquor and will help in exposing the mafia. The new digital technology will also help the police and excise department to maintain a vigil on the factories from where huge quantities of illegal liquor will be seized on a frequent basis.

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In geotagging, geographic coordinate information is being added to images, videos or GPS-enabled electronic devices. The system will help the administration in keeping a close watch on alcohol transportation.

Additional Director General of Police Jitendra Kumar said, "We receive specific inputs about Intra and interstate illegal smuggling of liquor. If we come to know that police officers also collude with the liquor mafia, they will be dealt severely."

Reports of hooch-related tragedies have been coming in from various districts of the state and the opposition RJD and even JD(U)'s own ally BJP have continuously questioned the implementation of the law.

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In March, RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav alleged the involvement of a BJP minister in the illicit liquor trade and claimed that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar appeared 'weak and helpless and, therefore, unable to act and stem the rot.

According to Kumar, there has been a spike in the illegal liquor trade in the state and as many as 2,899 people, including smugglers from other states, have been arrested in the last five days.

Huge quantities of illegal liquor and vehicles used for their transportation have been apprehended with 2,734 litres foreign and 533 country-made liquor seized alone in Gopalganj district alone.

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Till date, more than 70,000 people have been arrested in this connection and police have raided more than five lakh places in the state. The excise sleuths have seized 38,19,443 litres of desi liquor from the state.

Capital city Patna tops the chart where the maximum number of searches have been conducted. In the last five years, raids and searches have been conducted at 49,973 places and at least 68,057 people have been arrested. In 2021, 45,046 litres of liquor have been seized on an average basis as against 50,453 litres in 2020.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has been facing heat from all sides on the failure of the implementation of the law, has directed that no people involved in the illegal trade of liquor could escape the long hand of the law.

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(With inputs from agencies)