KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, Sept 12: The excise department will shortly launch a random checking drive of Bihar-bound buses from Jamshedpur for unearthing liquor smuggling to the dry state.
A decision to this effect has been taken by the Excise department because the railway police are detecting liquor bottles meant for Bihar-bound trains in course of checking luggage by the luggage scanners at the Tatanagar station regularly whereas there is no checking system as such for the Bihar-bound buses.
A senior official posted at the Jharkhand Excise’s Jamshedpur office pointed out that random checking is imperative, especially at a time when there has been a changed political equation in the Nitish Kumar-led government.
As many as 60 buses leave the Sitaramdera bus stand for various destinations, including the state capital Patna every day. Though so many buses ply between the steel city and various cities to the liquor dry state.
“We are aware of the fact that railway police in Tatanagar have unearthed liquor bottles from the luggage during checking in the light scanner at the station entrance several times. Our department has decided to carry out random checking of the Bihar-bound buses with the help of local police for detection of the liquor smuggling from the steel city soon, ” said a senior officer of the Bihar Excise while talking to lagatar24.com today.
The Excise officer said there will not be about fixed place and time for the checking.
“The checking will be done in the entire bus and also of the luggage of the passengers at random. If liquor bottles are found in the luggage, the passenger in question will be prosecuted and if liquor is found from inside the bus, then the bus owner will be prosecuted, ” the officer pointed out.
The officer on being queried that a passenger can carry only one bottle of liquor during the travel on the bus, but this is not permitted for passengers travelling to Bihar where liquor is prohibited.
The Excise officer said that they would take the help of Bihar police as well as the Excise department of the state if the situation so arises during the random checking here.
