Officials step up campaign against illicit liquor in Chittoor

Thousands of litres of fermented jaggery wash, liquor destroyed in the last one week

Cracking the whip: Excise staff with the seized jaggery wash and liquor at a village near Kuppam in Chittoor district.

A series of raids on the illicit brewing units in several parts of Chittoor district has led to the destruction of thousands of litres of fermented jaggery wash and liquor during the last one week.

The Excise officials, in coordination with the police, had raided a number of hamlets, in Piler, Yerravaripalem, Valmikipuram, Gurramkonda, Kalakada and Madanapalle in the western mandals.

This comes in view of the government’s new prohibition policy and the ensuing rise in liquor prices that have led to the booming of illicit trade in hamlets, located in forests and hills, across the district.

The officials had booked cases against 20 persons, besides destroying the material at the illicit brewing units. They also seized over a dozen vehicles used for the clandestine transport of the liquor on the inter-district routes. Surveillance was mounted in a couple of mandals in Chittoor bordering with Vellore and Tiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu.

Deputy Commissioner (Excise and Prohibition) Nagalakshmi said that the raids would be carried out at all vulnerable areas in the district. This apart, the Excise personnel were also instructed to undertake massive awareness programmes in the hamlets.

Ms. Nagalakshmi said that the awareness drives would focus on youth and maximum efforts would be put in to educate them and make them follow a healthy lifestyle.

In order to make the campaign effective, the campaign organizers would chalk out action plans consisting of cultural activities, screening of thematic short-films at the rural side.