The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Rectified spirit flows freely in Pondicherry

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 20, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Rectified spirit flows freely in Pondicherry

By Rajesh Nair

PONDICHERRY, DEC. 19. There has been a sharp rise in the flow of rectified spirit into the Union Territory of Pondicherry from other parts of the country through Tamil Nadu in the last three years, causing considerable concern to the Excise department.

Though the intensified drive against transportation of the rectified spirit has yielded `considerable results', the Excise department officials feel that laws need to be made stringent. They also feel that Tamil Nadu police should intensify their drive.

"We have made considerable progress in checking the flow, especially in the last two years. It is now time for the law enforcement agencies in Tamil Nadu to act. If they step up their drive not a single drop will flow into Pondicherry", a senior official told The Hindu .

As per its policy, the territorial administration allows the Pondicherry Distillery, the sole manufacturer and distributor of arrack, to buy the rectified spirit for its purpose mostly from Maharashtra and Karnataka.

The officials claim that the rectified spirit transported to Pondicherry is not sold within the territory but it goes to neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu. "There were some pockets in Pondicherry where arrack was sold and those involved in the trade have been rehabilitated," the official claimed.

The fact that the Union Territory does not have a prohibition policy, "people involved in the trade find Pondicherry safe for loading and unloading the spirit, which is transported on the pretext that it is for the distillery", says an excise official.

With the connivance of the local people, the spirit is transported to Cuddalore and Villupuram in Tamil Nadu. One litre of rectified spirit can be converted into three litre of arrack, he says.

The department has so far seized around 1 lakh litres of rectified spirit and arrested 50 persons in the recent time. During 2003 alone, 50,000 litres of spirit has been seized and till November 2004, 40,000 litres was recovered. The market value for this volume of spirit runs into crores.

Recently, the department has transferred 60,000 litres of seized spirit to the Pondicherry Distillery and the rest would be disposed as per the court direction, the official informed.

The department is now planning to approach the court for public auctioning of vehicles that were used for transporting the material. Around 25 unclaimed vehicles, including tankers, mini-lorries, tempo-travellers and two-wheelers are lying on the department premises.

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