The state excise commissionerate last week issued a circular asking local excise inspectors to destroy empty Scotch bottles during routine checks at bars. The cause behind this crackdown is the rampant use of old Scotch bottles for fake and spurious liquor. Moreover, an excise officer has also made an appeal to drinkers to inform him of any bootlegging by making his number public.
According to sources in the Maharashtra state excise department, excise commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee issued the circular last week directing local excise inspectors to destroy empty bottles during regular checks at bars. “A panchanama will be conducted where the number of empty bottles destroyed will be documented along with their brand and make against the name of the bar owner. An inspector who has a few bar licenses under his jurisdiction keeps visiting them at regular intervals for routine work. He already has an inventory of his stock and can cross check that with the number of bottles finished and finally destroy them,” said superintendent (enforcement and vigilance) Prasad Surve.
Explaining how bootleggers operate, an officer said empty bottles of scotch and foreign liquors are procured from scrap dealers and filled with spurious liquor. “The new liquor is exponentially lower in quality to the original brand and we also lose out on precious revenue,” said the officer.
About Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), inspector Subhash Jadhav has requested drinkers and bar owners to mark used bottles with dark sketch pens and tear off their labels. “However, people who find marked bottles being sold can reach me on 9552545354,” he said.
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Scientists use nuke power for developing new crops
AGE CORrESPONDENT
Mumbai, Aug. 6
A group of scientists from BARC have come together to spread awareness about the potential of nuclear power and its applications under the banner of Mumbai Press Club Knowledge Series. Incidentally, Monday was also the 68th anniversary of the Nagasaki bombings.
BARC scientists revealed that they had developed 41 varieties of crop in the last five years under
nuclear agriculture programme. These crops include 15 varieties of groundnut, eight varieties of green gram, five varieties of black gram, four varieties of pigeon pea, two varieties of soyabean and one variety of sunflower, cowpea, rice and jute.
Dr Suresh G. Bhagwat, head of nuclear agriculture and biotechnology division of BARC said, “If we want our country to be self-reliant in the area of food…our research lab aims to establish that irradiated food does not mean radiated and thus, is not harmful.”