Off the liquor

Chhattisgarh provided a model for other states in curbing the flow of liquor during the Assembly elections in November, thanks to Santosh Mishra, an Indian Administrative Service officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre. Mishra, who was entrusted with the task of checking the flow of liquor during the election in Chhattisgarh, performed his duty with commendable efficiency - he even had cameras installed outside liquor plants to track the movement of vehicles. Ironically, in a recent reshuffle, the Chhattisgarh government appointed Mishra additional commissioner of excise, a department responsible for maximising excise revenue from liquor sales. However, the Election Commission noted Mishra's "crusade" in November and recently invited him to New Delhi to make a presentation on his liquor-control measures during election time. What's more, the Election Commission has now asked the Chhattisgarh government to relieve Mishra from the excise department. As a member of the poll panel, he has been deputed to check the flow of liquor during the Lok Sabha elections.