Guwahati: Hubi Dotting illegal liquor, North Assam District LineTath which borders Arunachal Pradesh has emerged as the main spreader of the virus, said the state government.
Minister of Guard Guard Biswanath, Pijush Hazarika, on Friday issued strict instructions to the district government and the police to destroy all illegal liquor hubs in the district within three days.
The minister said based on his own research, he had found that the area where illegal liquor hubs existed, turned into a covid hotspot.
“If we want to control the Covid situation in Biswanath Regency, all the liquor hubs must be destroyed within three days.
There will be no compromise on this land.
I want everyone to accept this order very seriously,” Hazarika said.
He quoted examples from other districts to strengthen his findings.
Hazarika is in the North Assam district to review the Covid situation.
Biswanath Regency has been under hours of night all the time since June 28, after a fresh surge in positive cases reported.
Although the level of participants in Biswanath has dropped to 2.77 percent from 3.35 percent due to the imposition of curfew, the minister warned that circle officers would be responsible if there was non-compliance with their respective income circles.
Of the seven state districts that have been placed under Lockdown from Wednesday, three in the North Bank Brahmaputra.
Sonitpur, Lakhimpur and Biswanath, each of the three districts has reported more than 1,000 cases in the last 10 days (until Thursday night).
While the minister asked the administration and the Ministry of Health to increase vaccination inside and around Covid hotspots, he said that to minimize the risk of positive patients who transmit viruses, house isolation should not be highly recommended.
“Only patients who strictly fulfill all house isolation criteria, as referred to by the National Health Mission (NHM), must be allowed to stay at home,” Hazarika said.
But the threat of prohibited liquor from Arunachal Pradesh may have done more damage to the neighboring Lakhimpur district where the highest – 285 cases of everyday – among all state districts was detected on Thursday.
Arunachal has several important transit routes along the Lakhimpur inter-country border where several other illegal smuggling racquets are thwarted in the past.
With the aim of curbing the inflows of liquor from Arunachal Pradesh to Biswanath and North Lakhimpur District, the North Secretary of the State Excise Department, Rajesh Prasad, has issued strict instructions to the district department officials to maintain strict vigilance on the border area.
Prasad also held a detailed review meeting from the Excise Ministry of the District at Biswanath Chariai Circuit House.
He said that the inflows of liquor from Arunachal Pradesh did not only cost freedom, but also pose a serious threat to the health of consumers.
He said, “If found, the consignment of illegal liquor must be confiscated immediately by the department.” He also asked department officials to increase patrols in all districts and keep tight eyes on the movement of goods vehicles.
Also present at the meeting was the Deputy Biswanath Commissioner Pranab Kumar Sarmah and Police Inspector Ripul Das.