Spurious Liquor Has Claimed 231 Lives in Odisha in Last 32 Years

Bhubaneswar: At least 231 people have died due to spurious liquor consumption in Odisha since 1992, informed state Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan to the state Assembly on Saturday.

The highest number of 134 deaths due to spurious liquor occurred in Cuttack in 1992. In 2012, at least 41 people in a hooch tragedy at Tukulipada on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. The third major incident of illicit liquor related death was in 2001, when 20 people died in Puri. In 2006, spurious liquor led to the death of 19 persons in Ganjam district.

In 2019, seven persons died in a liquor tragedy at Tihidi in Bhadrak district.

The Minister stated that there are 433 country liquor manufacturing units in rural areas of Odisha. License have been issued to 490 units for mahua liquor production and sell in pouches.

Total revenue of Rs 227 crore has been earned from country liquor during the current financial year, while 23 crore litres of ‘Mahuli’ was produced during 2023-24 in the state, he added.