With 1531 FIRs registered last year, Jalandhar district has witnessed 64.99 percent increase in the police cases against the bootleggers and smugglers in 2020. Chairing a district level meeting to review the crackdown against the illicit liquor trade in the district, Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori directed all the officials to further intensify the ongoing drive against this menace.
Divulging the details, the deputy commissioner said that as many as 995 FIRs had been lodged by the police authorities in the district in the year 2019, which has seen an increase of 64.99 percent with a total of 1531 FIRs lodged in 2020.
The deputy commissioner said that under the operation Red Rose, as many as 1536 FIRs have been registered under the Excise Act besides the arrest of a total of 1563 accused so far. He said that the different departments have seized 103832 bottles of liquor and 2716 premises including go-downs, marriage palaces, and rice shellers were checked.
The deputy commissioner during the review meeting directed the Excise and police department departments to take severe action against any sort of liquor smuggling and bootlegging in the district. He said that any such activity should be dealt with heavy hands and stern action should be taken against the culprits. He said that exemplary action should be taken against persons involved in such actions including under the relevant provisions of the Acts.
Mr Thori said that the special checking should be further organized in the coming days to check liquor smuggling and bootlegging in the district.
The Deputy Commissioner said that concerted efforts need to be made by the joint teams of the Civil and Police administration along with the Excise department at the Tehsil and Sub Divisional level. He said that the teams should work collectively for ensuring that the liquor smuggling, bootlegging and illicit distillation of liquor, if any, in the district was checked efficiently.
The Deputy Commissioner also directed the officers of the Excise Department to hold regular checking and take feedback from contractors. He said that this would enable sustained and focused effort against smugglers/suppliers/distillers.
Prominent among others present on the occasion included Senior Superintendent of Police Sandeep Garg, Additional Deputy Commissioner Jasbir Singh, and Deputy Commissioner of Police Jagmohan Singh besides officers of Excise department.