The special striking force of the Excise Department will conduct night patrol in various parts of the district from December 6 to prevent sale of spurious and smuggled liquor during Christmas and New Year seasons.The month-long special drive will go on till January 6 and will cover all circle office limits.
A toll-free helpline (155358) and control room will be opened for the public to share confidential information with Excise squads on suspicious liquor trade and shipping.
Vehicle checking will be intensified on the Kozhikode-Kannur National highway to prevent smuggling of Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from Mahe.
Those who pass on crucial information on illegal drug sale will be rewarded, and their names will be kept confidential, they added.
As experimented earlier, coastline vigil will be strengthened to prevent attempts to smuggle IMFL using fishing boats.
The department is likely to hire a special patrolling boat for the purpose.
The Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police will help the department track unlawful shipping of IMFL using long-distance train services. During the previous seasons, several consignments of liquor smuggled from Goa had been seized by inspection squads.
Surveillance
Meanwhile, the local squads of the Excise Department have been alerted to keep an eye on secret hooch production aimed at Christmas and New Year market. Tribal settlements will be kept under close surveillance till the end of the season. The stock in various bar hotels too will be monitored to ensure fair trade.
Along with the department, the city police will step up vigil against illegal resale of liquor supplied by the Beverages Corporation. In the previous years, the police had seized illegal stocks from some local traders who had procured them for quick money.
