Ahmedabad
Mirror: Ahmedabad: Tuesday, December 25, 2018.
Visitors
and foreign tourists accounted for 86% of the 3.65 lakh permits issued during
the period
Surat
guzzled maximum liquor followed by Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Kutch
Prohibition
in Gujarat, did you say? Bah! The legal sale of liquor in this dry state with
‘stringent prohibition norms’ has only risen by more than six times in the past
six years, reveals a reply filed under Right to Information. As per the
information given by various district prohibition authorities, the sale of
liquor across Gujarat stood at 51.03 lakh litre in 2011-12 but between 2012-13
and 2017-18, it shot up to 3.33 crore litre. In all, 3.85 crore litre of liquor
was sold in the period.
Surat
tops the chart followed by Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Kutch. What more, visitors
and tourists have guzzled maximum liquor in the dry state, the figures indicate.
Of the 3.65 lakh permits issued between 2012 and 2018, only nearly 52,000
permits were given to civilians residing in the state, reveals the RTI data.
The remaining 3.13 lakh permits were issued as tourist permits (foreigners) and
visitor permits (those living outside Gujarat).
The
diamond city of Surat registered sale of 1.13 crore litre of liquor worth Rs
278.6 crore consumed over six years only 14 lakh litre of liquor was sold here
in 2011-12 as compared to nearly 1crore litre over the next five years. The
total sale of Surat in last six years is 1.13 crore litre.
Ahmedabad
was a close second with 74.14 lakh litre consumed over six years the
consumption was 15.21 lakh litre in 2011-12 and this rose to 58.93 lakh over
the next five years. However, unlike Surat, the prohibition department of
Ahmedabad did not provide the revenue figure saying “it pertains to third
party”.
Similarly,
Vadodara sold 33.41 lakh litre and Kutch, a major tourism hub, sold Rs 33.12
lakh litre in the same period. The RTI application seeking district-wise sale
of liquor from 2011-12 to 2017-18 was filed by Bandish Soparkar, a practising
lawyer in Gujarat High Court. Soparkar had sought details from the director of
Prohibition and Excise department in Gandhinagar which forwarded his
application to all district authorities. The replies were then sent to Soparkar
by the authorities.
“The
government has tightened the norms, but the figures pertaining to consumption
of liquor and permits indicate there is no prohibition in reality. The
prohibition law is not implemented in the right spirit,” said Soparkar.
Soparkar
further said, “Since more permits have been issued to outsiders, it means the
government does not have faith in its own people. It is construed that
outsiders will not commit offence under the influence of alcohol, but Gujarat
residents would. This is discrimination and should not happen.”
Vadgam
MLA Jignesh Mevani said that while the state boasts of stricter prohibition
laws, liquor was easily available across the state. “Since I became an MLA, I
have raised the issue of liquor sale but the government is adamant,” he said,
alleging, “Prohibition is a state-wide scam. It leads to corruption of crores
of rupees that reach several top leaders.”
When
Mirror spoke to Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja, he said, “I can’t comment
unless I see the data revealed in the RTI. So, at this juncture I won’t able to
comment.”
“Gandhi
and Sardar Patel’s Gujarat has become the jhoomta Gujaratin Narendra Modi’s
rule,” said Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani.
He
said, “By increasing the number of permit shops, the government is encouraging
people to consume liquor. I have raised a question in the assembly about
illegal liquor caught in the state and you will be surprised that its volume
that was only 1% of the total liquor illegally consumed in the state.”
A
top officer of the state prohibition department requesting anonymity said,
“Liquor sale has shot up in the state but it is the legal sale. The rise of
permits to visitors, tourist and medical ground can be attributed to the hike
in booze consumption. The government is mulling stricter policy in issuance of
permits.”
When
Mirror contacted Chief Secretary JN Singh and DGP Shivanand Jha, they refused
to comment on the issue and said the prohibition department works
independently.
.JPG)
.JPG)
