CHANDIGARH: Following the recent Amritsar hooch tragedy, Punjab Finance and Excise Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has urged Union Minister Piyush Goyal to regulate methanol under the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951.
In his letter, Cheema urged the Central Government to take immediate action to regulate the use of methyl alcohol (methanol) under the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951. He emphasised the urgent need for stricter controls on this highly toxic industrial chemical to prevent further loss of life.
Highlighting repeated mass casualties from spurious liquor, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stressed the regulatory gap around methanol. He noted its similarity to ethyl alcohol makes it a silent killer when diverted into the illicit liquor supply chain.
He pointed out that despite the Centre’s authority to regulate industrial alcohol under the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951, methanol remains in a grey area, resulting in systematic failures in monitoring and compliance.
He emphasised that the current legal framework does not address vulnerabilities of this substance for tracking, buyer registration, and cross-state regulation, leaving the methanol supply chain vulnerable.
Cheema urged the Central Government to treat the regulation of Methanol as a matter of national interest, demanding centralised, legally enforceable action.
He recommended an immediate amendment to the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951, to explicitly include methanol as a regulated substance, and called for binding rules to govern its manufacture, possession, sale, storage, and movement.
He also suggested implementing a central mandate to track and trace the movement of methanol, including barcoding or electronic tracking, and compulsory registration of buyers and strict documentation of usage.
He also sought supplementary legal provisions or a dedicated national law to establish a uniform enforcement framework across all states and UTs. This, he suggested, should include stringent penalties, real-time inspection protocols, and mechanisms for swift cross-jurisdictional action. He emphasised that such measures would help prevent the misuse of methanol in spurious liquor production, enhance industrial transparency, and restrict unauthorised access to hazardous chemicals.
Cheema concluded by emphasizing the need for urgent action to fill the legislative void and ensure that no life is lost due to a preventable regulatory gap.