Patna: Admitting a breach in the prohibition regulations, Bihar Excise Minister Sunil Kumar on Monday said that the enforcement of the prohibition, which was imposed in 2016, was a challenging job.
Talking to the media in Patna, former IPS officer Sunil Kumar said police and excise officials were acting in coordination against the liquor mafia.
About the Saran hooch tragedy, Mr Kumar said compared to Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, Bihar had reported fewer deaths.
The Minister ruled out providing compensation to families struck by the hooch tragedy, claiming the Bihar Excise Act does not allow any compensation.
The Winter Session of both the Houses of the State Legislature concluded on Monday with Opposition BJP and grand alliance partners — the Congress and the three Left parties — demanding compensation. Their legislators protested inside and outside the Houses.
Disputing the Minister's claim on the toll in Saran, Mashrak RJD MLA Kedarnath Singh said over 100 people have died in four days. However, the JD(U) MLA said 60 people were killed in his constituency alone.
A delegation of the Left parties legislators met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and demanded compensation to the bereaved families, who were not at fault. They were disappointed as the CM
rejected their demand. The three left parties are the RJD and JD(U) alliance partners.
In a memorandum to Governor Fagu Chauhan, Jamui MP Chirag Paswan demanded the imposition of the President' s Rule in Bihar.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
