Liquor worth Rs 252 crore seized in 2 years in 'dry' Gujarat

Liquor worth over Rs 252 crore has been seized during the last two years from different parts of Gujarat, according to the state government. Gujarat is a 'dry' state where manufacture, sale, and consumption of liquor is banned. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who holds the charge of the Home Department, informed the state Assembly on Monday that liquor worth over Rs 252 crore was seized in two years (till October 2019).

This included Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) costing Rs 231 crore, beer worth Rs 17.79 crore and country-made liquor amounting to Rs 3.12 crore, he said in a written reply. Rupani was responding to queries raised by Congress MLAs during the Question Hour of the three-day Assembly session which began on Monday. Among all the districts, Ahmedabad topped the charts with seizure of IMFL worth Rs 25.08 crore, followed by Banaskantha (Rs 22.13 crore) and Valsad (Rs 17.15 crore), as per the official figures.

Notably, Rupani and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot engaged in a war of words recently when the latter claimed that despite prohibition, liquor was consumed in almost every household in Gujarat. Enraged over Gehlot's remarks, Rupani dared the Congress leader to impose restrictions on liquor in Rajasthan.

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