State excise minister said, “The government has ordered a probe under the Chief Secretary to enquire into the deaths caused in the unfortunate Malvani hooch tragedy”. The report has to be submitted within three months.
The government has also proposed to change the colour of methanol to help distinguish it from other forms of industrial alcohol. Methanol is highly toxic to humans, but is added to illicit liquor to increase its alcohol content. Consumption of as little as 10ml of it can result in blindness, and 30ml or more is usually fatal.
After the tragedy, the police have raided over 150 such locations where liquor was brewed illegally and sold to gullible consumers.
Locals allege that illegal breweries thrive due to support from local officials.
A resident of the area Mustafa Khan claims he had visited the Malvani police station with documents to prove he had complained on the issue of illegal liquor being sold. He told NDTV, “If the police had acted on my complaint in 2009, these 100 lives would have been saved. Since I had no influence they ignored my complaint. After I complained I was threatened and I mentioned that to the police.”
Mr Khan alleges that it is an open secret that inside dingy rooms in the slums of Malvani and surrounding areas, hidden from public eye, addictive concoctions are prepared by mixing methanol with ethanol to give a cheap high to habitual drinkers. He said that bootleggers and suppliers operate without fear of any penal action.
The Opposition has attacked the government, “I expect both Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Excise Minister Eknath Khadse to tender their resignations,” leader of opposition in Maharashtra assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil told NDTV.
0 comments:
Post a Comment