KAKINADA: There has been a drastic decline in the sale of liquor, beer as well as alcohol, after the YSRC government came to power in the state two years ago, claimed the state liquor prohibition awareness committee chairman Vallamreddy Lakshmana Reddy here on Sunday.
Reddy told the media at Eluru in West Godavari district that Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had proposed prohibition in a phased manner. So many steps are being taken in this direction. Some 512 lakh liquor cases were sold between 2018 October and May 2019, whereas the sale reduced to 367 lakh from 2019 October to 2021, a decline of 28 per cent.
“The beer sales reduced to 124 lakh cases from 348 lakh cases during this period, a 64 per cent of decline. A campaign against consumption of liquor and its ill effects will be launched after controlling of Covid19 spread in the state with Kala Jathas by involving one crore self-help groups, college students and others.
The committee will tour Bihar and Gujarat to study the liquor prohibition in those states and submit a report to the government.
Reddy said the Special Enforcement Bureau of the state government has “become a terror” among the illicit liquor brewers and illegal liquor traders. It has registered 48,336 cases, arrested 38,016 persons and destroyed 6,10,820 litres of arrack and 1,73,14,139 litres of arrack wash and seized 5377 vehicles.
Some 17,044 cases were booked and 18,710 persons arrested while 5,87,877 litres of liquor and 2817 vehicles were seized on the charges of illegal transportation of liquor bottles from other states.
As many as 29370 cases were registered and 43,857 persons arrested while 5,87,877 litres of liquor was seized on the charge of selling it without paying taxes. In the Ganja cases, 3187 persons were arrested and 1188 cases registered while 1,61,300 kilos of Ganja was seized altogether.
Special enforcement bureau assistant commissioner Srinivas Chowdary and excise superintendent Suresh Babu were present.
