Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Chief Minister Mohan Yadav held a video conference with collectors and superintendents of police on Wednesday after a truck driver transporting illegal liquor murdered a TI, Dileep Puri, in Dewas on Monday.
Yadav directed the officials to crack down on bootleggers. He told the officers to identify the spurious liquor-makers and show no mercy to them.
The chief minister said officials should wipe out the agencies, wholesale, and middleman (agenti, Paikari, and dairy system) in the liquor trade and check vehicles transporting it.
They should stop the sale of liquor at rates higher than the ones fixed by the government, Yadav said.
The police and the officials of the excise department should also take samples of liquor, and if they find any harmful substance for humans, they should act against the culprits to avoid any liquor tragedies in the future, he said.
Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal looked angry with the action taken by the excise department.
About the presentation of the excise department at the conference, Barnwal said the officials had confiscated 300 litres of liquor in 250 raids, which signified they seized one litre in each raid.
He further said 25,000 inspections carried out by the department and 21,000 challans issued by it indicated that they completed formalities in the name of acting against bootleggers. Barnwal further said such things should not happen.
Regarding the distribution of fertiliser, Yadav said the government would hold the collectors responsible for the shortage of fertiliser in the districts.
He further said the police should ensure that the harmful firecrackers and carbide guns remain out of sale and take action against those who vend them.
The officials should check the sale of narcotics with an iron hand and stop the cultivation of ganja and opium.
The laboratories manufacturing intoxicant drugs should be closed, and student hostels and educational institutions should be kept under watch.
The collectors and other officials should ensure that the number of registrations of properties goes high under the SVAMITVA scheme on the occasion of Dhanteras.
The government will honour the Patwaris, who do the registration work efficiently, he said.
Officers should celebrate in slums, says Yadav
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the officers should visit slums, orphanages, and old age homes to celebrate Diwali there.
He appealed to the officers not to harass those who set up small shops in big markets to sell fruits, flowers, and decorative items.
Small shopkeepers should be exempted from Teh-bazari (stallage charges), he said.
