Manufacturing Of Illicit Liquor Thriving In Areas Along The Godavari River Belt
Check dams had reportedly been built between large rocks to retain water and keep the drums hidden from view. Venkatapuram police retrieved the drums during special checks.
Warangal: The Godavari River belt along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border is emerging as an area for manufacturing of illicit gudumba, with streams, tributaries, dense forests and remote villages providing cover for the business.
Streams are used not only to obtain water for brewing of liquor illegally at concealed locations in the forests. Brewers also conceal stocks of their raw material in these streams. Recently, drums filled with jaggery wash had been found hidden underwater behind check dams to evade detection during police raids.
The matter came to light in the Mutharam forest area of Venkatapuram mandal in Mulugu district, where police found drums concealed beneath the water. Check dams had reportedly been built between large rocks to retain water and keep the drums hidden from view. Venkatapuram police retrieved the drums during special checks.
Police have been conducting regular raids in the forest areas of Mutharam, Seetharampuram, Bodapuram, Sudibaka, Bestagudem and Ramachandrapuram, all under Venkatapuram police station limits. In Mutharam alone, they have identified and destroyed 106 drums of jiggery wash hidden underwater.
In other raids, officials destroyed 21,800 litres of jaggery wash and seized 102 litres of illicit liquor. Eight persons have been taken into custody and cases registered against them.
Earlier, joint raids by police and CRPF personnel in Sudibaka and Bestagudem led to the destruction of around 4,000 litres of jaggery wash and confiscation of illicit liquor. During another inspection at Bestagudem, officials destroyed 500 litres of jaggery wash.
Raids at three locations on outskirts of Ramachandrapuram resulted in destruction of 9,600 litres of jaggery wash stored in 48 drums and seizure of 30 litres of illicit liquor. Three persons have been taken into custody in this case.
According to consolidated figures provided by police, raids conducted over the past week within Venkatapuram police station limits resulted in the destruction of 35,900 litres of jaggery wash and seizure of 182 litres of illicit liquor. Cases were registered against 22 persons.
The extensive agency area along the Godavari falls under the jurisdiction of the Eturunagaram excise department. The excise station is understaffed, which is constricting operations in the remote forest areas.
Mulugu district excise superintendent B. Kiran Naik said surveillance has been intensified over the past two days with additional personnel. A special task force has been formed to track those involved in illicit liquor manufacturing. He said instead of four wheelers, they are planning to use motorcycles to reach remote locations and conduct raids.
The illegal brewers keep shifting their manufacturing units regularly. Concealing raw materials in forests and underwater has become a common tactic. However, officials are continuing their raids to curb the manufacture of illicit liquor even in the remote agency belt.
- Streams are being used as secret facilities for storing raw materials, while forests serve as manufacturing centres.
- Illicit liquor is being manufactured in remote tribal areas along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.
- Police and excise personnel are destroying large quantities of jaggery wash and seizing illicit liquor.