East Midnapore reaped a staggering profit of nearly 34 crore rupees from liquor sales during the Durga Puja season, mirroring its year-round dominance in alcohol retail. The district's supremacy remained unchallenged even during the festive period. September saw peak liquor sales in the tourist hubs of Digha and Mandarmani.
District Excise Department records reveal that Digha sold 1.3 lakh liters of foreign liquor in the past month alone. During Durga Puja, East Midnapore saw average daily liquor sales of ₹8.46 crore. Total sales of country liquor, foreign spirits, and beer reached an impressive ₹33.87 crore. In Jhargram, liquor sales over the four Durga Puja days totaled ₹4.4 crore.
It's worth noting that East Midnapore's dominance isn't a fleeting phenomenon; the district has consistently held the top position in liquor sales across the state for the past five years. For the current year, the state excise department has set an ambitious target of 1960 crore rupees in liquor sales for the district by March.
Buoyed by the record-breaking Puja sales, district excise officials are optimistic about reaching the state-mandated target for the current fiscal year well before March.
Manish Sharma, the East Midnapore Superintendent of Excise, stated, “According to the records of the district's 297 licensed liquor shops, sales worth 33 crore 86 lakh 97 thousand rupees were recorded from Shashti to Dashami. Simultaneously, we're conducting continuous raids across the district to curb illegal liquor shops and moonshine sales”.
The District Excise Department reported that during the four days of Durga Puja, East Midnapore saw sales of 3 lakh 20 thousand 509 liters of country liquor, 2 lakh 2 thousand 655 liters of foreign liquor, and 2 lakh 84 thousand 205 liters of beer. However, raids against moonshine sales are a frequent occurrence. In the past month, 30 individuals were arrested for selling moonshine and illegal liquor. The district excise department has filed 379 cases.
Alongside East Midnapore, Jhargram district also reported liquor sales worth 4 crore 40 lakh rupees over the four days of Puja. While the excise department conducted raids against moonshine in this district, they also organized awareness camps in villages.
The Excise Department claims success in the Jhargram district due to these efforts. According to Tanay Guha, the Jhargram district's Superintendent of Excise, the district saw sales of 12,070 liters of country liquor, 34,900 liters of foreign liquor, and 27,000 liters of beer over the four days.
