Crack Down on Illegal Liquor Supply | 12 Sep 2022

For Mains: Dimensions of Ethics, Determinants and Consequences of Ethics in Human Action

Why in News?

Recently, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer used soft policing to crack down on illegal hooch distilleries in Solapur (Maharashtra).

  • Hooch is made when ‘country alcohol’ or cheap distilled liquor (desi daru) is adulterated with industrial alcohol or methanol to increase its intoxicating potency.
  • National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data show that 6,172 people died between 2016 and 2020 due to the consumption of illicit hooch in India

What are the Responsibilities of Different Stakeholders involved in Such Operations?

  • State and Central Governments:
    • Implement the constitutional values by endeavouring for prohibition (Article 47).
    • Maintain impartiality in taking legal actions against the culprits.
    • Be transparent and uphold rule of law in investigations.
    • Maintain fairness in decision making and determining the accountability of mishaps.
  • District Magistrate:
    • Maintaining nonpartisanship and probity in bringing perpetrators to justice no matter how powerful they might be.
    • Show empathy towards the victims and their families.
  • Police:
    • Curb the illegal liquor trade with an unbiased attitude
    • To maintain nonpartisanship in discharge of their duty by not sidelining or exonerating the politicians.
    • Maintaining integrity while delivering duty.
    • Be accountable for its omissions and commissions.
    • Rectitude of dereliction duties.
    • Elimination of corruption, promoting honesty in discharge of duties.
  • Media:
    • Be responsible and liable for their reports.
    • Being one of the pillars of democracy it is their duty to report the truth fearlessly but objectively.
  • Ministers/ MLAs:
    • Uphold integrity by following the laws in letter and spirit.
    • Pay allegiance to the oath of public service
  • Society:
    • Inculcate moral restraint to abjure consumption of liquor, which also causes health hazards.
    • Embracing the Gandhian ideals of prohibition.
    • Perform the duty of being a good citizen by helping the administration and police to bring about justice.

What should be the Way Forward?

  • Soft Policing Method:
    • ‘Operation Parivartan’, a four-point action plan that combined soft policing methods such as counselling with a concerted crackdown on the haath bhattis or the hand-operated illicit liquor distilleries in the police district was launched.
  • Public Campaign Strategy:
    • Start a public campaign with advertisements, street plays etc. to appeal to people to avoid the consumption of liquor.
  • Rehabilitation Process:
    • Facilitate rehabilitation process of people addicted to alcohol, for this, allocation of adequate funds from the Government to open deaddiction centres for the same.

Source: IE