Naka checking at 52 points in state averts entry of liquor in Bihar

Kolkata: The first ever round-the-clock naka checking by the state Excise directorate's personnel along with the police at 52 points in both North and South Bengal during elections in a neighbouring state has averted entry of liquor in Bihar.

The move to initiate round-the-clock surveillance at strategic locations was taken after five huge consignment of liquor in trucks meant for Bihar were seized

when passing through Bengal a few weeks ago.

The matter related to seizure of the consignment was mentioned during a video conference in mid-October that was attended by top brass of the Election Commission of India and senior administrative and police officers of Bihar and its states including Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

Senior officers including Home Secretary, Additional Director General (Law and Order) and the state Excise Commissioner were present in the video conference from Nabanna.

Subsequently, the state Excise directorate has prepared a road map and initiated naka-checking at 52 locations in districts including Malda, North Dinajpur, Darjeeling, Murshidabad and Birbhum.

A senior officer of the state Excise directorate said that Malda and North Dinajpur shares border with Bihar while the decision to undertake naka checking in Murshidabad and Birbhum has been taken so that entry of liquor in Bihar, where sale of liquor is ban, can be checked even through Jharkhand.

The naka-checking is being carried out in three shifts by involving more than 500 personnel of the state Excise directorate starting from constables to deputy excise commissioners.

The naka-checking that had been going on for the past

two weeks will continue till the poll in Bihar ends on November 7.

The officer said that drivers and helpers of the trucks of the five seized consignments had confessed that the same were for Bihar though it was mentioned on the label on liquor bottles that those were "for sale in Arunachal Pradesh". "It alerted us and we prepared the modalities to check the same during the election run-up in Bihar following a meeting with all concerned authorities," the officer said adding that only a consignment with foreign made cigarettes was seized and the case was handed over to the concerned authorities for further investigation.