Tamil Nadu govt will table Bill to amend Prohibition Act to punish illicit liquor vendors

CHENNAI: Amidst opposition uproar over the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday informed the Assembly that a Bill to amend the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act, 1937 will be tabled on June 29 to seek to impose severe punishment for life-threatening crimes such as the manufacture and sale of illicit liquor.

"As of now, there are no severe punishments for crimes like manufacturing and sale of illicit liquor in the state. I will table the Bill in the House on Saturday to amend the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act, 1937 to impose severe punishment for such crimes," the CM said.

Earlier, PMK MLA GK Mani had accused the state police department of indirect involvement in the illicit liquor trade and alleged that they were protecting the culprits. "Former Chief Ministers J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi had pointed out that there are black sheep in the police department who will support the crimes instead of taking any action against the culprits. I too say that there are culprits in the police department," the leader claimed, adding that measures should be taken to monitor this. He also urged to increase the number of police personnel per the population.

On the other hand, BJP MLA Nainar Nagendran said that the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy would not have happened if the state intelligence had been functioning properly. He also pointed out a growing rise in cyber crimes and demanded joint action with central probe agencies to curb them.