Over 13 lakh liquor bottles destroyed ahead of Bihar ban

A day ahead of a liquor ban from April 1 in Bihar, authorities destroyed more than 13 lakh bottles of liquor worth over Rs.3 crore here on Thursday, officials said.

"We used three JCB machines to destroy 13.32 lakh bottles of countrymade and spiced liquor following Patna district magistrate Sanjay Agrawal's orders," said an excise department official.

According to officials posted in the Bihar Police headquarters here, all police officials concerned have been directed to strictly enforce the liquor ban from Friday onwards.

The Bihar assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed an amendment bill providing for death penalty for people found violating the ban on manufacture of and trade in illicit liquor in the event of a hooch tragedy.

All members of both the Bihar assembly and the legislative council also unanimously adopted a resolution that they will not consume liquor. It is a first for Bihar.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who announced the alcohol ban from April 1 during campaigning for the 2015 assembly elections, was upbeat after the Bihar Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2016, was passed on Wednesday.

Bihar Excise and Prohibition Minister Abdul Jalil Mastan said the manufacture and sale of countrymade and spiced liquor would be banned in the first phase, followed by Indian-made foreign liquor later this year.