Sushil finds flaws in partial liquor ban in Bihar

Criticising the "anomalies" in the partial liquor ban in Bihar that came into effect yesterday, former deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi today questioned the Nitish Kumar government's intention to fully enforce prohibition in the state.
"The state government has banned the sale and consumption of country-made liquor in entire Bihar, but kept the quota of foreign-made liquor intact to be sold through 650 retail shops in urban areas...Given this fact, I wonder whether the Chief Minister wants to fully enforce prohibition in the state in the foreseeable future," he said in a statement.
Taking the state government to task for allowing sale of 12 more brands of foreign liquor in Bihar in addition to keeping intact the foreign liquor quota to be sold through 650 outlets from this month against the earlier figure of 3,000 outlets, Modi said that the decision goes against its aim to enforce total prohibition in future as the urban consumers will get liberal dose of foreign brand liquor unlike their rural counterparts who have been made to go dry.

Finding lacunae in the enforcement of the ban on country-made liquor, the former deputy Chief Minister asked the state government to explain as to what measures it has taken to prevent rural people from purchasing foreign liquor from outlets in urban areas and taking it home for consumption.
"What guidelines have been issued to the foreign liquor retailers on selling beverages to people coming from rural areas and prevention of sale of foreign liquor in rural areas bordering towns and townships?" he asked.
Modi further expressed doubt over the success of the ban on the sale and consumption of country-made liquor in the short term and enforcement of total prohibition in the long term saying, Bihar shares open border with states like Jharkhand, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, besides Nepal from which the demand could be made through illegal supply.