Spurious liquor kills 60 in Odisha in 14 years

Bhubaneswar, Dec 4: Consumption of spurious liquor has led to the death of at least 60 people in Odisha in the past 14 years, prompting the government to consider shifting of around 200 liquor shops along the national highways in the state. In a written reply to the assembly Wednesday, Excise Minister Damodar Rout said as many as 29 deaths occurred in Ganjam district, 14 in Khordha, 10 in Puri and seven in Bolangir. The state government has taken a number of steps to check consumption of spurious liquor, and excise department officials were conducting regular raids and filing cases against people involved in the illegal trade. Officials have also been deployed at state border check points to prevent smuggling of liquor into Odisha. He said the government was also considering shifting 196 foreign liquor shops along the national highways in the state.