ANANTAPUR: The 750 kms long Karnataka borders of Bellary, Chitradurga, Tumkur and Chikkaballapur districts that encompass Anantapur has become a major challenge to the Special Enforcement Bureau in its bid to contain transportation of non-duty paid liquor ahead of the gram panchayat polls.
In fact, this illegal activity is not confined to Rayalaseema but has penetrated into all parts of the State.
At least 95 check-posts along with 15 mobile parties of SEB have been established to prevent non-duty paid liquor entering Anantapur district.
With a surge in the illicit transportation of liquor, Anantapur SP Satya Esubabu organised a web meeting with police and excise departments from borders districts of Karnataka and also with local officials on Wednesday.
The Anantapur SEB special officer Rammohan Rao objected to the existing wine shops and belt shops in the border areas and sought a joint action to control illicit liquor in shops over a five-km radius.
“We asked the Karnataka officials to form joint action teams to curb transportation of illicit liquor”, he said.
Esubabu said that the gram panchayat elections were being held in four phases and sought cooperation from Karnataka officials to end such a racket.
Deputy Commissioners of Bellary, Chitradurga, Tumkur and Chicka Balapur districts along with divisional officials and Anantapur District SEB officers of Kadiri, Penukonda, Dharmavaram, Kalyanadurgam and Guntakal DSPs, Karnataka Tumkur DC N. Nagarajappa, Chitradurga DC Nagasena, Chikkaballapur DC Narendra and Ballary DC Mahesh Kumar participated.
