Accountability for 120 deaths
Spurious liquor, which claimed over 120 lives in three districts of Majha early this month, continues to wreak havoc on unsuspecting consumers. Two residents of Pandori Gola village in Tarn Taran district died after having poisonous booze on Tuesday. The law-enforcement authorities are zeroing in on the local players, even as the big fish running the parallel liquor network with impunity across Punjab remain elusive. The ongoing inquiry into the illicit liquor trade doesn’t seem to be scrutinising things at the macro level. Instead of striking at the root of an organised racket that draws strength from political patronage, the hydra-headed problem is being reduced to a one-off deal involving a Ludhiana-based paint shop owner, an industrial dealer in Delhi and a Moga businessman.
There are gaping holes in the story about how denatured spirit reached Tarn Taran from Delhi after changing hands in Ludhiana and Moga. It especially needs to be explained how the businessman, apparently without any authorisation, managed to buy the harmful substance for purportedly preparing hand sanitisers and then in turn sold it to makers of illicit liquor. In recent months, The Tribune has red-flagged not only the pilferage of denatured spirit from distilleries but also the rampant use of lethal methanol for manufacturing adulterated sanitisers. However, the state authorities have been slow to put two and two together.
Any attempt to shift the focus away from ascertaining the complicity of excise officials and distillery operators will only defeat the purpose of the probe and increase the likelihood of another major tragedy. Punjab can take a leaf out of Haryana’s book if it is really keen to stem the rot. The indictment of an Excise and Taxation Commissioner and a police officer by a special inquiry team probing the liquor scam in the neighbouring state demonstrates zero tolerance to dereliction of duty. The Punjab government has now decided to use GPS technology to monitor the transportation of extra neutral alcohol and ethanol by distilleries. Such a high-sounding move might come a cropper as long as the nexus between officials, manufacturers, suppliers and vendors continues to flourish. The buck has to stop here.
