Rourkela excise district reins in illicit liquor flow
The RED was created in April 2021 to check offences related to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances along Odisha-Jharkhand border.
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Published: 24th April 2023 09:09 AM | Last Updated: 24th April 2023 09:09 AM | A+A A-
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ROURKELA: The formation of the Rourkela excise district (RED) two years back has had a significant bearing on offences related to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in the region. Last year, the detection of cases increased by 59 per cent while the number of arrests went up by 61 per cent as compared to 2021-22. Similarly, the value of total seizures rose to Rs 8.27 crore. This was revealed recently during a detailed review of the functioning of RED by Excise Commissioner Ashish Singh.
The RED was created in April 2021 to check offences related to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances along the Odisha-Jharkhand border. Panposh and Bonai sub-divisions of Sundargarh, which share porous borders with Jharkhand, were brought under the jurisdiction of RED.
Rourkela excise superintendent Sheik Asaf Ali said in 2022-23, the RED seized 3,123 litres of duplicate Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) which was the highest for any district in Odisha. This led to a rise in sale of licensed IMFL by 15 per cent and beer by 96 per cent in areas under RED jurisdiction.
During the period, 10 four-wheelers, 13 three-wheelers, 184 two-wheelers and 14 bicycles used in excise-related crimes were seized. A whopping amount of 84,969 litres of illicit distilled liquor, around 10,700 quintals of mahua flowers in dried or fermented form and 937 litres of out-still liquor were also recovered.
This apart, 368 kg of ganja, 16.75 gram of brown sugar, 136 litre of non-duty paid IMFL, 331 litre of non-duty paid beer and 2,416 litre of toddy (palm wine) were seized.During 2022-23, the RED recorded 2,495 cases leading to arrest of 2,143 persons. The total value of seizures was estimated to be around Rs 8.27 crore.
Sources said the areas under RED jurisdiction witness rampant flow of duplicated foreign and illicit country liquor arriving from adjacent pockets of Simdega and West Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand besides illegal entry of psychotropic and narcotic substances from other areas.