This is the first parliamentary election to see reverse smuggling of liquor, from Telangana to Maharashtra, thanks to change in the process of bribing voters in the bordering areas of Telangana and because of prohibition being in force in Chandrapur and other districts on the other side of the inter-State border since 2014.
The first week of implementation of Model Code of Conduct in Chandrapur Lok Sabha constituency resulted in seizure of about 1.3 crore of liquor which was apparently smuggled from retail liquor shops located under Adilabad and Kagaznagar Excise police stations in Adilabad (ST) parliamentary constituency.
On the other hand, the seizures of Maharashtra manufactured cheaper desi daru or country-made liquor, usually smuggled in from that side of the border, amounted to not even ₹1 lakh since February.
“Even these seizures do not relate to bribing of voters,” claimed an Excise Department official in Adilabad as he talked about liquor smuggling.
Election to Adilabad and Chandrapur Lok Sabha seats will be held concurrently on April 11 and this makes liquor smuggling an activity under focus of either side. The fluctuation in sale of liquor in Adilabad and Excise police stations reveals the extent to which the problem is causing trouble to election authorities in Chandrapur constituency.
Liquor worth ₹5.57 crore and ₹3.55 crore was sold in retail shops in Adilabad and Kagaznagar Excise police station limits in February 2015 and ₹7.48 crore and ₹6.57 crore in February of 2016. The increase recorded was nearly ₹2 crore in the given months of the two years in shops in Adilabad and over ₹3 crore in shops in Kagaznagar Excise police station reportedly owing to smuggling.
The sale of liquor in the month of February 2018 was ₹10.84 crore, and in February 2019, it climbed up to ₹12.40 in Adilabad shops and for the corresponding period, shops in Kagaznagar Excise police station sold liquor worth ₹9.13 crore and and ₹11.32 crore respectively.
The increase in sale during the given months of the two years is ₹1.64 crore and ₹2.19 crore owing to smuggling to Maharashtra.
“Liquor is smuggled into Chandrapur from Bela in Adilabad district, Rajura, Sirpur (T), Koutala and Bejjur in Kumram Bheem Asifabad districts mostly. Smuggling takes place through land routes which reach Gondpipri, Rajura, Korpana tahsils in Chandrapur and through riverine routes connecting the Pranahita river,” a source in the police department of Chandrapur pointed out.
