13-member panel to evaluate liquor ban in Chandrapur

Chandrapur/Mumbai: The state government has finally agreed to examine the issue of liquor ban in Chandrapur district and instituted a 13-member committee for the purpose.
The erstwhile BJP government had banned sale and consumption of liquor in Chandrapur district from April 1, 2015, following the initiative of then finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar.
On Wednesday, state home department announced the committee led by former principal secretary Ramanath Zha, having eight non-government members and invitee members — Chandrapur police superintendent, district surgeon, district women and child development officer, district social justice officer and divisional deputy commissioner of excise department, Nagpur division.
The committee will make a comparative study of social and economic impact before and after the ban. The state has asked the committee to submit its report in a month.
State relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar, who is also Chandrapur guardian minister, is against the ban as it has led to smuggling of spurious liquor into the district. Earlier, the issue was discussed in a meeting held on September 30, 2020, under the chairmanship of excise minister Balasaheb Thorat, which was attended by home minister Anil Deshmukh and Wadettiwar himself.
Liquor is also banned in Wardha and Gadchiroli districts. However, the committee has been appointed only for Chandrapur.
Paromita Goswami, social activist who fought for the liquor ban in Chandrapur, said, “It is a partisan, unfortunate and condemnable approach of the government that it is reviewing only Chandrapur liquor ban and not of Wardha and Gadchiroli. There is nothing wrong to review, but the government should review the implementation. It was not expected from progressive state like Maharashtra and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.”
Wadettiwar had always been supporter of lifting of the prohibition citing its total failure. He had announced to review the impact of prohibition in Chandrapur during his first visit to the city as guardian minister and had instituted a committee under collector in January 2020. The collector’s committee had gathered 2.82 lakh opinions from people, institutions and organizations and had compiled facts and figures related to the impact of the ban on domestic violence, crime, health, revenue, industries, business, tourism etc.
The opinions included 2.61 lakh petitions (memorandums) in favour of revoking the ban, whereas only 20,585 were in support of its continuation. Wadettiwar had planned to put it before the cabinet, but the matter was held back due to emergency arising out of Covid-19 pandemic.
The latest committee will study the 2.82 lakh opinions before submitting its recommendations.