Times of India: Chandigarh: Friday,
February 03, 2017.
The report is
based on the information supplied by various public authorities under the
provision of the RTI Act 2005.
Leave aside
Bihar-like prohibition, even curbs on liquor sale is a tricky issue for
political parties as the excise duty continues to be the key money spinner for
the state. No wonder, even as 232 village panchayats passed resolutions in
2015-16 demanding liquor sales ban in their area; most political parties have
been non-committal on the issue in their campaigns for the state assembly
elections.
Meanwhile,
the number of liquor vends has registered a 48.29% increase in the past nine
years bringing it to 9,842, against a growth of 5.5% in Haryana in the same
time period. Ironically, despite increasing number of liquor vends, Punjab has
not been able to achieve expected revenue as compared to adjoining states.
Apparently, the Congress is the only party to have promised in its election
manifesto to bring down the number of vends by 5% each year.
A "white
paper" on liquor prepared by "People for Transparency" points
out that the constitution of both the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)
demands that its members abstains from consuming alcohol but the parties have
still not reflected the sentiments seeking curbs on liquor in their policies.
Kamal Anand,
general secretary of the group told TOI, "If not prohibition, the
political parties should at least try to regulate the supply of liquor in the
state. However, the trends reflect mindless increase in the number of vends and
quota per vend over the past years. It is not a desirable trend."
The number of
resolutions passed by panchayats against liquor too has gone up from 41 in
2010-11 to 232 last year. Before that, this practice was not witnessed in the
state. Of the 232, 209 resolutions were accepted by the excise and taxation
department. "Women folk in particular are against such easy availability
of liquor," said Anand.
As per law, a
panchayat is authorized to pass a resolution supported by at least two-thirds
of panches holding office directing that no liquor be sold at any licensed shop
within the gram sabha area, notwithstanding any resolution passed by an
empowered local body under section 5 of the Punjab Local Option Act, 1923.
The number of
liquor vends in Punjab too has gone up from 6,637 in 2008-09 to 9,842 in
2016-17. "It is very shocking to see that Punjab has one liquor shop for
every 1,940 Voters. Punjab being conservative society and women in state
normally does not drink. If we take out women for per capita liquor vend data
analysis, Punjab has one liquor vend catering to 1,025 male above age of 18
year," said Anand.
At the same
time, the revenue collection of Punjab under excise head in compare to
neighbouring areas paints a dismissal picture. Punjab has scored 167% revenue
increase in last 9 years, Chandigarh shown 167% increase and Haryana has scored
165% despite not increasing the number of vends drastically.
Punjab
Congress has, meanwhile, said that its objective was that liquor vends should
be only at district headquarters so that the practice of drinking is controlled
in the state.
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