Legal Adviser for City Police Commisionerate, P.V. Rama Krishna Rao, said that there could be a possible increase in organised crime once the phase-wise prohibition of liquor across the State is complete.
Attending the ‘Madya Vimochana Prachara Sabha’ (Anti-Alcohol Campaign) organised by Gandhi Centre & Jana Chaitanya Vedhika at Visakha Public Library here on Saturday, Mr. Rama Krishna Rao spoke about some of the challenges that the government might face after the complete liquor ban and came up with several suggestions on how to deal with the aftermath.
Appreciating the State government’s liquor policy, Mr. Rama Krishna Rao said that enforcement should be given more priority in the State by strengthening Excise and Prohibition, Vigilance and Enforcement and a few other departments.
Citing how tobacco products such as gutkha and khaini were still freely available across the State despite being banned substances, the legal adviser said that liquor bootlegging could also happen in a similar manner as there is no such ban in neighbouring States. “People addicted to alcohol are likely to shift to ganja due to its easy availability. That should be looked into,” he said.
“Criminals could come up with a modus operandi on smuggling liquor into the State, which would lead to a rise in organised crime,” Mr. Rama Krishna Rao said.
“The government should set up de-addiction centres, especially at the mandal-level, and make sure alcohol addicts are treated. School education should include topics explaining bad impacts of alcohol,” he suggested.
State-Level Liquor Prohibition Awareness Committee V. Lakshman Rao said that sale of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) dropped by 25% in November 2019 as compared to the corresponding period last year, while sale of beer also registered a decline of 54%.
Mr. Lakshman Rao alleged that when the Supreme Court had insisted on closing down all liquor outlets along national highways and relocating them to a distance of over 500 metres, the former TDP Government had denotified the national highways passing through urban areas and classified them either as State highways or municipal roads.
“The previous government has ignored issues faced by the public due to liquor. They only focussed on revenue generation. The YSRCP felt that the government should not make money at the cost of public suffering, and felt that there should be other alternative options to generate revenue,” he said.
Mr. Lakshmana Rao said that by 2024, except three-star and five-star hotels, liquor would not be sold anywhere else in the State.
Payakaraopeta MLA Golla Babu Rao, former Union Secretary E.A.S. Sarma, former vice-chancellor Prof. V Balamohan Das and Deputy Commissioner of Excise and Prohibition T. Srinivasa Rao were present.
