Monitoring individual liquor permits tough: excise officials

Superintendent of Excise department Pune Vijay Chinchalkar admits that rules under the Bombay Prohibition Act 1949 are stringent but it is practically impossible to implement it as it is difficult to track each and every individual.

The excise department in Pune has divided the district into 12 zones and has 24 excise inspectors to issue these permits,however the department officials admit that individual permits are difficult to monitor.

“There needs to be much awareness about the Act and even people who are aware are not taking the permits,”say senior excise department officials. The rules under the Bombay Prohibition Act clearly mentions that liquor permit is necessary for purchase,possession,transport and consumption of liquor.

Any person above 25 years is eligible for the liquor permit and those who consume liquor without permit is violating the Bombay Prohibiton Act,1949.

While permits cost Rs 2 for a day for country liquor,Rs 5 for foreign liquor,it is Rs 100 for a year for a yearly permit while it is Rs 1,000 for a lifetime permit.

“It is practically impossible to monitor consumers visiting wine and permit rooms. Shop owners have to check the permits but it is not done,” said a excise official.

Pune district has 255 wine shops,943 permit rooms or beer bars and 302 country liquor shops.

Advocate Amitabh Mehta said though these rules exist,there is no implementation or stringent action against violators. “There is so much of liquor brought for private parties which again see a huge number of revelers,but no permits are issued to any of these people,”he points out.