Patna: The Bihar government has decided to give "intelligence" teeth to the newly created office of additional director-general (ADG)/inspector-general (prohibition) to initiate a crackdown on those flouting the liquor ban, especially the mafia that has got well-entrenched at various levels in the state, have connections outside and operate in nexus with some police and excise officials.
Speaking after the completion of the human chain in support of eradication of child marriage and dowry system on Sunday, chief minister Nitish Kumar had touched upon the issue of prohibition for which the government is going to strengthening the campaign.
"We are developing a new system under the office of the ADG/IG (prohibition) in which the latest techniques will be used. All the required set-up will be complete within a month or a month-and-a-half, and the information technology (IT) department has been entrusted with this responsibility," Nitish said.
The chief minister also revealed that the IT department had put the project on the fast-track and the government would ensure that the new system is firmly established in the state to take action against the liquor mafia and bootleggers.
"A phone number will be circulated in villages across the state on which people could provide information about those who are trying to compromise prohibition. Their identity will be kept secret. All phone calls, as well as action taken on them will be recorded. If information comes from some place, the police force will have to reach there within a certain time period of time," Nitish added.
The state government is already circulating phone numbers of the police and excise departments with the help of boards installed on electricity poles having transformers across the length and breadth of Bihar.
Sources in the police headquarters said the office of the ADG/IG (prohibition) is being constituted on the lines of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and will be a kind of "big brother" watching over the state. Around 250 police personnel of various ranks are expected to be deputed to the newly created office and they will man it round the clock.
"Latest gadgets to monitor, eavesdrop, track, trace, analyse and tag suspects involved in the liquor trade and bootlegging will be used once the office becomes fully functional. This will be used to hit at mafia connections in states such as Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bengal and the Northeast, which are behind pushing huge consignments of illegal liquor into Bihar," a senior police official said on the condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.
The ADG/IG (prohibition) has been given extensive powers, and has the mandate to monitor the police, prohibition and excise department officials as well.
It has the power to take over any case with regard to prohibition, registered at any police station, except that of the economic offences unit(EOU), if it feels proper action is not being taken. The office of the ADG/IG (prohibition) will also have the power to monitor the progress in any such case and oversee whether it has been taken to its logical end.
The ADG/IG (prohibition) will not need to take permission from the CID additional director-general, the director-general of police (DGP), or the government to take over the cases. However, the principal secretary (home), DGP, and the government can hand over cases to the office.
