BOTTLES OF
LUCRE
The crackdown on the duplication of IMFL brands is a sequel to the complaints lodged by the major liquor companies like the UB Group and McDowell, who realised that their brands were duplicated and filtered into the market. The sprouting distilleries have risen to nearly 67 and the proliferating bars to 7,000. The discovery explains, to some extent, the cause of the burgeoning number of deaths due to cirrhosis of the liver in Goa. The distilleries manufacture officially 1.08 crore of bulk litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and 15.30 lakh of beer yearly and Goa earns Rs.40 crore in Excise. Traditional Feni
The Excise department uncorked just the crest of the massive, clandestine operation of bottling and distribution of illicit liquor. The raids netted duplicate Indian-made foreign liquor (Whiskey and Rum) worth Rs.6.5 lakh last month. They even sealed distilleries like Arihant Distillery, Manik Distillery (both in Bicholim), Manik Wines and others. Further raids produced more surprising results. From a residential premises of a bar owner near Mapusa, they seized a truck load of empty bottles, 40 cases of spurious scotch bottles of various popular international brands and 8 cases of duplicate bottles of IMFL. Spurious IMFL worth around Rs.1 lakh was also unearthed at Shristhal, near the beach village of Palolem, from where liquor is being smuggled into Karnataka. From the residence of Madhu Popat Naik in Panjim they seized 55 bottles of Scotch Whiskey worth Rs.1.5 lakh, including premium brands like Blue Label and Red Label. Eventually, it led to the arrest of Ganjibhai Bharatlal Patel of Mumbai, a puc'ca veteran reportedly distributing every brand of fake foreign liquor in Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi, Assam and Goa for the last 30 years. In Goa, the intricate network is weaved around certain wine outlets, bars and even the beach shacks in coastal Goa, where the vast clientele consists of gullible, one-time customers-the tourists--who often know not what real liquor tastes like. The Killer Brew
Chief Minister Parrikar suspects that there is an inter-state racket indulging in illicit and spurious liquor. Parrikar said that the UB Group and a couple of other distilleries have complained about the duplication of their brands. Parrikar expects earnings to rise to Rs 50 crore this year with the crackdown on the illegal business. In the process, it has come to light that the Excise officials could be in collusion with the bootleggers, and even political patronage cannot be ruled out. In their anxiety to evade the Excise raids, the illegal manufacturers, hoarders and bar/hotel owners have been dumping and hiding liquor at every venue possible. The Excise officials recovered 30 cartons of fake IMFL from a lake at Marcaim in Ponda. The lake is the site for the traditional immersion during the Ganesh Chathurti. The bottles were reportedly carried there from Campal in Panjim, by a tempo. Tip of an iceberg The raids, triggered by a routine check of molasses being diverted by Goa-based distilleries, has netted Rs.40 lakh. Goa's Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar, says that no major distillery was involved but that he suspects a collusion from the Excise department. The Chief Minister has assured deterrent action after a thorough investigation in the matter. He said excise collections in the first three months of this year had brought in Rs.11.78 crore, compared to Rs 6.1 crore during the period last year. Even Parrikar feels that the liquor so far is just a tip of the iceberg, which has been floating along merrily for several years on the trot. The raids reveal that nearly eight distilleries have been indulging in the illegal business and the burantte (small, useless fish) netted at the moment hardly gives an indication of the xevtte (caucus) behind the illegal racket. Quite a few senior politicians in the State figure among Goa's liquor barons. The way Goa is going about getting a bad name in the production of alcoholic drinks, one wonders whether our famed cashew feni, admired by everyone, will ever earn the global patent protection as a Geographically Indicated Product (GIP) as desired by Goans. Joel D'Souza Details Courtesy:
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WITH the monsoons playing
truant in Goa this year, the State had to look for other ways to be
considered as the wettest place in the country. However, we didn't
have to look far and a mere peek into a handful of the innumerable
liquor dens gave us an inkling of how wet Goa's actually is,
'spiritually' through a Rs.100-crore liquor business. A massive,
clandestine illegal manufacture and duplication of reputed brands
and distillation of spurious liquor has been going on here, right
under the nose of the Excise department. 
The liquor produced is overwhelmingly more than what
Goans can consume. Moreover, Goans have their own traditional Feni
to satisfy the craving for liquor; they'd rather keep away from the
bottled, essence-laced alcohol. Since the time, centuries ago, Goans
learnt the trick of treating coconut toddy and cashew apple juice
differently, Feni drinking has been a tradition at social and
religious occasions as well as routinely. Of course, there is a
section of Goan population addicted to alcoholism, but that does not
justify the burgeoning production.
The bulk
of illicit liquor is smuggled into Maharashtra, Karnataka and
onwards from there, by evading Excise duty to the tune of Rs.40 to
Rs.400 crore annually. Nearly 22 lakh litres of rectified spirit in
pure or degraded form is being smuggled into the State every year.
This is obviously the intake needed for the production of illicit,
spurious liquor.