NORTH LAKHIMPUR, Dec 15 - Indian Made Foreign (IMFL) Liquor rejected by the Excise Department in Arunachal Pradesh has been creating a major health hazard in the bordering areas of Lakhimpur district.
The stale liquor is covertly smuggled into Lakhimpur district through the inter-State border along the Zoihing-Koilamari tea estate areas under Zoihing forest beat in Lakhimpur and is sold at cheap rates to the local consumers, mostly belonging to the labourer community of the surrounding tea gardens. Significantly, the bottles of liquor bearing expired dates have become an instant hit among the local consumers hailing from the tea garden labourer community. Not surprisingly therefore, consumption of such liquor has been creating a major health problem for them.
The police administration and Excise Department in Lakhimpur district have chosen to remain mute spectators and look the other way while the practise has been going on unabated since long, thus adversely affecting the gullible public both economically, socially and health-wise.
The expired IMFL and beer meant for the Arunachal Pradesh markets are slipped through the inter-State border into Lakhimpur district by a section of unscrupulous local traders and subsequently sold at rock bottom prices in an effort to cater to the liquor needs of the tea garden labourers.
Consumers, finding the liquor at competitive prices do not hesitate to gulp it down despite the associated health hazards.
It may perhaps be pertinent to add here that expired liquor, including beer causes serious health problems from diarrhoea to kidney disease. Seeing the chronic apathy of the law-enforcing agencies to curb this social menace, student organisations of the tea garden labour community are now seriously taking up the issue.
If not checked without any further delay, this spurious liquor menace may soon create a major health disaster in the border areas of Lakhimpur district, which is already malaria and encephalitis prone.
