CHENNAI:There may have been no deaths recorded due to spurious liquor in the last three years but the State still has the poor distinction of being ranked number one when it comes to the fatalities in the last 10 years.
As per the figures compiled from National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) during the last 10 years (2005-2014), Tamil Nadu registered 1,509 deaths, the maximum due to spurious liquor, said general secretary of Satta Panchayat Iyakkam Shankar Armugham.
Shankar says that during the last 10 years, the nationwide toll is 11,032. Neighbouring Karnataka, he added, stands second second with a toll of 1,421 while Punjab is third with a spurious liquor death toll of 1,364. Satta Panchayat Iyakkam has been vociferously demanding a ban on sale of liquor. Recently, the organisation had even done a study on a brand of brandy which had high quality of ethyl alcohol and sediments.
Shankar says that in a State like Gujarat that had banned alcohol, the deaths due to hooch are much lower than in Tamil Nadu. The toll during the last 10 years is 843. “This discounts the theory that a ban could result in more deaths due to alcohol,” said Shankar.
Pointing out an irony, he said the State has a total of 6,800 Tasmac shops but only 4,370 libraries.