Best Results With Nation-wide Liquor Ban, AP Prohibition & Excise Director C V Narsaiah

This department is on the top three of the list, which add revenues to the state exchequer. Employees of this department shed not only sweat but also blood, at times, to protect the interests of the people at large. Still, these people are awarded more with remarks and condemnations from both the rulers and the ruled.

The rulers, whenever they change, policies automatically change according to their “convenience” of ruling. The strength of the department will flow down to implement such convenient policies. Rulers never bother how these employees struggle with the policies changing colours like a chameleon, every time there is a change in the ruling party.

The Andhra Pradesh Prohibition and Excise department is one example of all the above situations. The department provides crores of rupees as revenue to the state government and on the parallel ground; they protect the health and well being of the people by checking the illicit liquor. Employees of the department do not just keep to their work as just another means of earning a living. There are several instances, where in they had to shed blood and lives for protecting the well being of the people at large.

Needless to say, how strong and influential are the arrack syndicates and liquor barons are in the country and in the state, irrespective of the party or government is in power. An officer is heading the department now, working with ease suppressing all the pressures put on him and his subordinates by the ‘protecting hands’. These protecting hands are God Fathers to the liquor heavy pockets, illicit liquor rings and arrack armies.

This officer is a terror for all those circles. This man takes any law violation very seriously. Very humbly, he keeps smiling and says, “It is all part of my official responsibility, that’s it.”

Mr C V Narsaiah, an Indian Police Service person is now on the helm of affairs of Andhra Pradesh Prohibition and Excise Department as Director. HamaraShehar.com on a fine morning interacted with him for a much finer expressions. Excerpts of the interaction:

Q: Can you detail about the department’s advancement after you have taken charge of it?

A:Before I took over as the director, the annual revenue growth was close to 12 and 12.5%. Currently, we are achieving about 19.5%. I hope this would grow with the passage of time. The department staff had shown and is showing better results in checking transportation of rectified spirit, transhipments of drugs like Ganja and Hashish. We are also very effective in curtailing illicit liquor manufacture, transport of raw materials like those that of jaggery wash used for adulterations.

Q: What are the newer strategies adopted by you?

A:We are more aggressive on inter-state illegal transportation of prohibited items. For example, production of Chloral Dehydrate and Rectified spirit is not permitted in the state. Hence, there is an illegal flow of these products from neighbouring states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. The statewide check post network is able to control this illegal flow into the state to a maximum extent. Chloral Dehydrate and Diazepam are two main components used to adulterate Toddy here. We are on to a heavy dosage of raids to seize these materials. Strict control on one hand and intensive hawking raids on the other are giving better results. Most of the law violating ways are choked now.

Q: To what extent could you succeed in booking violators by book?

A:We have filed about 81,000 cases on illicit arrack (Gudamba) manufacturers this year. Over 18 tankers transporting rectified spirit violating norms were seized; Ganja plantation worth Rs 540 crore in international market in a stretch of 1700 acres was destroyed in previous financial year. About 447 cases relating to tainted toddy were booked. As much as 18 tonnes of Chloral Dehydrate was seized. Concerning unlawful transport of prohibited products, over 2,900 vehicles (all makes and capacities) were detained.

Q: How strong is the dragnet of the Acts in promulgation?

A:With in the frame work of the existing Acts and Laws, we are able to succeed to a maximum extent. It is, of course, regrettable that there are some loopholes in the Prohibition and Excise Act, with the help of which some “personalities” are escaping the legal dragnet. Like other government departments, we cannot act on others information and tip offs. We ourselves are supposed to gather all the information and accordingly act upon. In some cases of impure toddy cases, accused are side tracking the issues putting forth the private laboratory test reports and countering the department laboratory tests. Certain issues like this, pinch the courage and confidence of the staff some times.

Q: Can you detail the stretch of conviction?

A:We will be able to take action that is more stringent once the proposed Organised Crime (Control) Act comes into force. With the present Acts and Legislations in force, a landowner is equally punishable with the Ganja cultivator, if the land is given on lease. First apprehension conviction would be for a five-year term and second term for ten years. We are working out to bring the Village Administrative Officers to book under the P.D.Act. A case was booked on one Narasappa Naidu for not keeping the government about the Ganja cultivation in his jurisdiction. In this region, comprising Paderu and Visakhapatnam, illegitimate transportation of Ganja seed to final produce is on the rise. By the way, it falls the responsibility of the VAOs to keep the government informed about the illegal happenings in the region. We are using the P.D. Act on all those who has a long criminal record.

Q: Can you analyse the failure of liquor prohibition in the states?

A:A straight factor is to be understood. A problem is being magnified and a scare is being created to terrorise the public. That is it all. If one state is implementing a prohibition, there is always an opportunity to consume liquor in the neighbouring states. A special mention to be taken here is about the bordering districts. People who cannot reach to the borders, those addicted to consuming spirit, are resorting to cheap and illicit liquor like Gudamba. This is creating more hazards in the society. The rulers and the ruled do not understand this basic fact. Hence, the only possibility for a perfect solution to this problem is that the rulers should adopt for a nation-wide prohibition at a time. Only then, barring the liquor menace from the people’s lives can be achieved.

Q: Do you support or oppose the government’s move to lift liquor prohibition in a phased manner, while it says it is committed for the protection of common people’s health?

A:This is an interesting and at the same time a complex question. No government neither encourage nor discourage a consumer. Liquor consumption is in our culture and tradition from time immemorial. Earlier in the name of “Varuni Vahini”, arrack outlets were set up in almost every village of the state. It is only the collective awareness in people and their joint effort needed for driving the evil away. The morale in people is gradually changing along with the status and standard of living. Liquor had taken a social status mode. Under these circumstances, if the government forces on some one there is always a possibility that crime-rate might escalate for this reason. Considering these extremes, government was compelled to grant permission for purified and refined form of liquor to protect the general health of people to the extent possible. Even we, the department are explaining people about the ill effects of consuming liquor.

Q: How are you campaigning on this?

A:Primarily, we are forming ‘Health Committees’ otherwise known popularly as anti-arrack committees, in all the districts where health hazards are on the rise. We have over 90 such committees functioning in Ananthapur alone. These committees explain in detail to fellow members of the society about the extremities and after effects of regular consumption of liquor and other spirit based liquids. We are on the move to form at least four or five committees in each district. With a schematic approach, we wish to create awareness among people on these problems.

Q: Have you identified sensitive areas in this regard?

A:In general almost all the regions in the state have this menace. This problem is uniform for liquor, toddy and arrack. It is final that awareness and decisiveness of people is the solution. Ganja cultivation is in practice in Visakhapatnam, Warangal, Nizamabad, Nalgonda, Ananthapur, East Godavari (Prathipadu) and Medak (Narayan Khed) districts. Naturally, we have deployed additional men for hawking in these regions. We also wish to keep the Girijans informed about their violating the Laws and Acts by cultivating Ganja in their lands. This is giving them a soft corner towards their backwardness and illiteracy. However, none would be spared for ignorance.

Q: How do you wish to go about this awareness programme?

A:First, Girijans are not aware the after effects of consuming hazardous material like Ganja. In addition to this, they need to be educated about stringency of the Law on violators. If the concerned district public relation officers print handbills and explain the situation to Girijans, we think there would be betterment in the situation. We hope that if they understand how the younger generations are being destroyed with Ganja and other intoxicant material usage, Girijans will definitely cooperate.

Q: What do you do with the literate and urban violators?

A:We are using P.D.Act on those who are shaping themselves into Dons with the illegal transport of liquor and manufacture of Gudamba in the urban localities. Necessary action including excommunication from the urban limits is being taken on them. For example, this is more in Dhoolpet (Hyderabad), Mangalagiri, Thadepalli and Stuartpuram (Guntur) and Vijayawada outskirts (Krishna).

Q: What do you advise the youth?

A:They should not consume any intoxicant or drug, which show its impact on the nervous system. They should remember that the effect will never end with one person. It shows a negative impact on the nation as a whole. The future citizens of the country should protect themselves first from these evils, so that they in turn could save the country from destruction. Parents, teachers, peoples’ representatives, government, every responsible citizen should try to lead them away from evil.

Profile

Name: Chirumamilla Venkata Narsaiah
Father & Mother: Peda Narayana, Anantha Raamamma
Native Place: Obulesula Palli, Durgi Mandal, Guntur district
School: Zilla Parishad High School, Durgi
College: Andhra Christian College, Guntur
Post Graduation: Master of Arts from Andhra University, Valtair
First profession: As lecturer at V R S and R N College, Chirala
Public Service: Selected as Deputy Superintendent of Police through APPSC Group-1 examination in 1976. resigned to lecturer’s profession on January 15, 1977.

January 22, 1977, training in National Police Academy

First Posting: Mahboobnagar, Two and a half years as Deputy Superintendent of Police in Kurnool and Tirupati, Chief Security Officer from 1984 to December 1989 to the then Chief Minister N T Rama Rao. Later Promoted as Superintendent of Police and posted in Hyderabad. 1990-92 (2 ½ years) as CB CID SP, Visakhapatnam rural district SP for 10 months, DCP in Hyderabad City CID for one and a half years, As Ranga Reddy SP for two and a half years, Law and Order DSP in Hyderabad Old City for 13 months, for two years and three months as Nellore SP. Presently DIG in Prohibition and Excise as Director.

Awards: 1985 – Best Service Police Medal,
1986 – Visishta Seva Medal,
1995 – Indian Police Medal from Indian Government.