Kozhikode: Closure of outlets has excise department on toes

Kozhikode:  The closure of many Bevco outlets across the district has put the excise department on tenterhooks as there are chances by the hooch mafia to cash in on the dearth of liquor during the festival season. Apart from special drives with police and forest officials, this time the excise department has also launched special marine patrols with the assistance of the coastal police.  With the cooperation of police, the excise department has conducted several rounds of wee hour raids in suspected spots and human settlements.

Kozhikode excise deputy commissioner P. K. Suresh told DC that the special drives would continue till April 20. “We have alerted the public to inform us in case they find any suspicious movement of vehicles from the suspected dens of brewers”, he said. The Excise department has constituted two strike forces to act on information received from the public and has also opened a control room to coordinate the drive.

Several raids were conducted in suspected jungle regions with the support of forest officials. “As the number of beverage outlets came down from 14 last year to merely 5 this year, we are worried about the possible inflow of hooch and spurious liquor across the border through the abundant jungle routes”, he added. It is to be recalled that among the 14 beverages outlets only five are functioning now. Another six were closed due to protest but Bevco is yet to get a building to run the outlet.