Bhopal collector orders village staff to report illicit liquor to officials at once

The Bhopal district administration has stepped up action against illicit liquor. Village patwaris, ANMs and panchayat secretaries are being enlisted to help curb the making, storage, transport and sale of illicit liquor.

Collector Priyank Mishra has issued an order in this regard. It tells patwaris, ANMs and panchayat secretaries that if illicit liquor is being sold or made in their area, they must immediately inform the SDM, the tehsildar or the police at the nearest police station so that action can be taken. Field staff have been instructed to pass on, without delay, any information about the sale of illicit liquor in a village.

According to the order, information must be given at once if there is news of country or illicit liquor being sold in a village, if liquor is being supplied from a licensed shop (paikari), or if illicit sales are happening through agents, diaries or any other means. The information is to be given to whichever is nearest among the sub-divisional magistrate, an executive magistrate or the officer in charge of the police station.

The instructions have been given to gram panchayat secretaries, patwaris, gram patels, kotwars, anganwadi workers and helpers, ASHA workers and ANMs.

The Collector issued the order in line with directions from the Excise Commissioner, Madhya Pradesh. It also refers to the duty to provide information under Section 34(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.