Cuttack, Nov. 4: Orissa High Court has expressed deep concern over the sale of plastic packets containing liquor made of mahua flowers violating excise department guidelines. Such practice mainly occurs in regions with a sizeable tribal population.

Adjudicating a PIL, the court ordered identification of the country liquor manufacturers, who are violating the guidelines and registration of criminal cases against them.

The guidelines issued by the excise commissioner in 2009 for 21 districts made mandatory the mention of the name of manufacturers, code number, identification mark of the shop approved, strength of the liquor, name of branch to which it has been transported and the quantity of liquor in the poly packs along with statutory warning.

The 21 districts are Mayurbhanj, Angul, Bargarh, Balangir, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Sundargarh, Boudh, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nawarangpur, Nuapada, Kandhamal and Rayagada.

Balangir-based NGO Avirbhav’s chairman Archer Ardhendu Narayan Behera had filed the PIL. He alleged that the excise superintendents of the districts concerned were yet to implement the guidelines.

“While disposing of the PIL after one hearing, the two-judge bench of Chief Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice B.N. Mohapatra yesterday directed the excise commissioner to assess violation of the guidelines in the 21 districts and start criminal cases against the manufacturers found guilty,” petitioner counsel Ashis Kumar Mishra told The Telegraph today.

“The details will be known after the full text of the order is made available,” Mishra said.

The PIL had alleged a nexus between excise officials and particularly the superintendents of these districts and the manufacturing units.

The local manufacturers of such liquor not only manage to handle the excise officials but also the local political leaders, youths and others by giving huge donations for different programmes and functions, the PIL had contended, adding that the nexus was resulting in huge loss of revenue for the excise department.

The liquor packs, with images of deer, fish, tiger, human head, etc. are sold in the locality just like mineral water. These are easily available near police stations, hospitals, railway stations, bus stands, schools, colleges and temple, the petitioner alleged.

“Due to non-implementation of the guidelines issued by the excise commissioner, many poor people in these tribal districts have been suffering from drunken deaths,” the petition said.