HYDERABAD: The city is all set to be declared gudumba-free. With the government having already declared eight districts of Telangana illicitly distilled (ID) liquor free over the last eight months, prohibition and excise department officials now claim the capital city is now free of ID liqour. An official announcement is likely to be made by the end of this month.
In December 2015, Mahbubnagar became the first district in Telangana to be ID liquor free after a special drive was launched last September. The declaration is made after an assessment by Prohibition & Excise (P&E), commercial taxes, police and the medical and health departments.
In Hyderabad, Dhoolpet in Old City has been a notorious den for illicitly distilled liquor for decades. A community which has been residing in the locality for the last 400 years earned a livelihood solely by brewing and selling gudumba. While P&E officials claim that crackdown on gudumba has been an ongoing activity for several years, it is only after the present government started a special drive against gudumba that officials initiated stern action.
Apart from frequent raids by P&E officials on those who brew gudumba, officials have been monitoring intermediaries between the brewer and the final consumer. “Opening up of permit rooms beside wine shops and liberalising bar timings have helped. The sale of black jaggery which is an integral component in preparation of ID liqour has also been controlled,” said a senior official.
Special teams were constituted in all excise station limits. They conducted raids and also closed the source of raw materials and the medium of sale of gudumba. Several persons have been booked under Excise PD Act.