spurious liquor deaths in 14 years in Odisha

Sixty people have died in the past 14 years after consuming spurious liquor in Odisha, the assembly was informed.

In a written reply Wednesday, Excise Minister Damodar Rout said the deaths occurred in Puri, Ganjam, Khordha and Bolangir districts.

As many as 29 deaths occurred in Ganjam, 14 in Khordha, 10 in Puri and seven in Bolangir, the minister said.

He said the state government has taken a number of steps to check consumption of spurious liquor.

Excise department officials were conducting regular raids and filing cases against people involved in the illegal trade.

Officials have also been deployed at state border check gates to prevent smuggling of liquor from outside Odisha.

He said the government was also considering shifting 196 foreign liquor shops along the national highways in the state.