WELFARE DEPARTMENTS

the DEPARTMENT OF PROHIBITION AND EXCISE.

Prohibition and Excise Organization.

SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF COMPLETE PROHIBITION IN THE FORMER AREAS OF THE STATE OF BOMBAY from 1st April, 1950, the former Department of Excise has come to be designated as the Department of Prohibition and Excise. The officer charged with the administration of this department in Kolhapur district is the Collector of Kolhapur. In relation to this department, he is responsible to the Director of Excise and Prohibition, Bombay State. He is invested with various powers under the Bombay Prohibition Act (XXV of 1949) and also exercises power under the Dangerous Drugs Act (II of 1930), the Bombay Opium Smoking Act (XX of 1936) and the Bombay Drugs (Control) Act (XXIX of 1952). Under the Bombay Prohibition Act, prohibitions or restrictions have been placed on the manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, possession, use and consumption of liquor, intoxicating drugs or hemp. The Collector has powers to grant, cancel or suspend licences, permits and passes under the Act.

The District Inspector of Prohibition and Excise, Kolhapur assists the Collector and is in charge of the actual work of the department in the district. The District Inspector, Kolhapur has under him two Sub-Inspectors, both stationed at Kolhapur. The district is divided into two ranges each in charge of a separate Sub-Inspector. One range consists of the talukas of Karvir, Kagal, Gadhingalaj, Bhudargad, Ajra, and Chandgad, and the other range consists of the talukas of Hatkanangle. Shirol, Panhala, Shahuwadi, Radhanagari and Bavda. There is one Sub-Inspector with headquarters at Kolhapur for Drugs control work of the district. There are also two Sub-Inspectors for the Rectified Spirit Distillery of Messrs. Kolhapur Sugar Mills Ltd. The District Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors have also been invested with certain powers under the Bombay Prohibition Act and the Bombay Opium Smoking Act and the Bombay Drugs (Control) Act.

Medical Boards.

In each taluka, a medical board consisting usually of two registered medical practitioners (one Government or semi-Government official and the other non-official) has been formed. The functions of the board are to examine any person who applies for a permit to possess opium, ganja or bhang for personal consumption or for an increase in the existing quota, and, on examination to issue a medical certificate to such person if it is satisfied that the applicant requires the drug as a medical necessity.

There is another medical board for foreign liquor permits on health grounds. The Civil Surgeon, Kolhapur, is in charge of the board and examines and grants certificates to applicants from the Kolhapur City. In the rest of the district, the medical officers in charge of the Government or municipal dispensaries do the above duties and send the certificates through the Civil Surgeon, Kolhapur, for his counter signature.

Military Personnel.

In the case of individual military personnel, the quota of foreign liquor is allotted by the Station Staff Officer on a scale commensurate with their rank, and the same can be purchased from the Military Vendor's Licences only. In the case of military messes, requisitions are issued by the Station Staff Officer and liquor is issued by the Military Vendor's Licences on the strength of transport permits issued by the Prohibition and Excise Department.

Enforcement Work.

The Police Department is the chief agency to deal with detection, investigation and prosecution of offences under Prohibition Act. Though officers of the Prohibition and Excise Department, of and above the rank of Inspector have been invested with powers to investigate offences, these officers generally pass on information of the commission of offences and hand over the cases detected by them to the Police for investigation. The Home Guard Organisation also assists the Police in this work. Under Section 134 of the Prohibition Act, village officers, village servants useful to Government, officers of other departments of the State Government, and officers and servants of local authorities are bound not only to give information to the Police of breaches of the provisions of the Act which may come to their knowledge, but also to prevent the commission of breaches of the Act about which they may have knowledge. Under Section 133, officers and servants of local authorities are further bound to assist any Police officer or person authorised to carry out the provisions of the Act. Under section 135, occupiers of lands and buildings, land loards of estates, owners of vehicles, etc., are bound to give notice of any illicit tapping of trees or manufacture of any liquor or intoxicating drug to a Magistrate, Prohibition Officer or Police Officer as soon as it comes to their knowledge.

All revenue officers of and above the rank of Mamlatdar or Mahalkari, all Magistrates and all officers of the Department of Prohibition and Exercise, of and above the rank of Sub-Inspector have been authorised under Section 123 of the Prohibition Act, within the limits of their respective jurisdiction to arrest without a warrant, any person whom they have reason to believe to be guilty of an offence under the Act, and to seize and detain any article of contraband. The officer so authorised, when he arrests any person or seizes and detains any article, has to forward such person or article without unnecessary delay to the officer-in-charge of the nearest police station.

Effect of Prohibition.

As the Kolhapur State was merged into the State of Bombay from 1st March 1949, the excise laws of the Bombay State were made applicable to the Kolhapur district with effect from 1st May 1949. A comparison is given of the consumption of liquor and intoxicating drugs in the year 1950-51 (the year in which complete prohibition was in force) and 1955-56:-

The total revenue which was Rs. 1,17,149 in 1950-51 was only Rs. 70,268 in 1955-56.

Kinds of permits.

Various permits were granted for possession, use, etc. of foreign liquor. These were:-

Foreign Liquor.

(1) Emergency Permits.-These permits were at first issued to families only, for emergent purposes. This permit can, since 22nd October, 1952, be issued in the name of any member of the family, but it cannot be granted to more than one member of a household at any one time. A holder of this permit is authorised to purchase, possess, use or consume 6⅔ ozs. of brandy or rum or 13⅓ ozs. of champagne during a period of six months. The number of emergency permits issued in 1955-56 was 30 and in 1956-57, six.

(2) Health Permits.-These permits are granted on grounds of health to the applicants after their medical examination by the Civil Surgeon, Kolhapur for a quantity recommended by him. The maximum quantity admissible under the Bombay Foreign Liquor Rules, 1953 is two units. [One unit is equal to 1 quart bottle of 26⅔ ozs. of spirits, or 3 quart bottles of wine or 9 quart bottles of fermented liquors of a strength exceeding 2 per cent, of alcohol by volume, or 27 quart bottles of fermented liquors of a strength not exceeding 2 per cent. of alcohol by volume.] During the year 1950-51 and, from April 1951 to 19th September 1951, these permits were granted for a period of six months only. From 20th September 1951 these permits can be issued for a period of one year if recommended by the Medical Board to persons who are, over sixty years and in the case of persons over seventy years the permits can be granted upto a year without medical examination by the Medical Board. A permit-holder desiring to renew the permit has to make a fresh application. The number of health permits issued in 1955-56 was 236 and in 1956-57, 212.

(3) Temporary Resident's Permits.-These permits are issued to persons born and brought-up or domiciled in a country outside India where liquor is usually consumed. Temporary resident's permits are granted for a maximum quantity of four units per month. They are granted upto the end of the financial year. A permit-holder desiring to renew the permit has to make a fresh application.

(4) Visitor's Permits.-Any person visiting the State of Bombay for a period not more than a week is granted a visitor's permit upto a quantity of one unit and the permit is renewable for a maximum period of one month.

(5) Tourist's Permits.-Any foreign tourists who is eligible for a temporary resident's permit and possesses a tourist introduction card or tourist visa is granted a tourist's permit for a maximum period of one month for a quantity of one unit per week.

Toddy.

Possession, use, etc., of toddy is completely prohibited.

Denatured Spirit.

Permits for possession and use of denatured spirit up to a maximum quantity of two bottles per month are granted for domestic purposes.

Country liquor and Wine.

Authorisations for the use of country liquor and wine for sacramental purposes only are granted to persons of certain communities, viz., Christians, Parsees and Jews.

Ganja, Bhang and Opium.

Ganja, Bhang or Opium is allowed to a person for his personal consumption only, under a permit which granted on production of a medical certificate from the Medical Board, the maximum quantity allowed under a permit being 15 tolas in the cases of ganja or bhang and 7½ tolas in the case of opium. In 1955-56, 91 permits were issued for opium, 83 for ganja land 3 for bhang. In 1956-57 the respective numbers were 124, 79 and 11.

There are also rules governing the possession, use, transport, sale, etc. of dangerous drugs, mhowra-flowers, molasses, rectified spirit and absolute alcohol for industrial, medical and similar purposes.

Neera.

The Bombay Village Industries Board is entrusted with the working of the " neera and palm products scheme ". It is carrying out its neera and palm-gur work through co-operative societies or suitable institutions of constructive social workers such as (1) Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, (2) Sarvodaya Centres and (3) Ashrams.

There is a supervisor stationed in each area of neera extraction who supervises the tapping and collection of neera from trees. The neera collected is transported to various sale centres. There is a manager at each centre, who supervises the sale of neera with the help of the salesmen. The manufacture of gur from neera is allowed only at the centre under the supervision of the Van supervisor.

Prohibition Committee.

A Prohibition Sub-Committee consisting of ten members has been set-up by the District Development Board, Kolhapur. The Chairman of the Prohibition Sub-Committee is from, the non-official members of the Board and the District Inspector of Prohibition and Excise, Kolhapur, is its Secretary. The functions of this Committee are to advise the Prohibition and Excise Department in carrying out the prohibition work and to male suggestions in matters pertaining to vigilance, prohibition propaganda, publicity, recreation activities, etc.

Sanskar Kendras.

There are three Sanskar Kendras in the Kolhapur district and they are at (i) Murgud, (ii) Gadhinglaj and (iii) Turkewadi. All the three Sanskar Kendras are managed by private institutions, but are partly subsidised by the department. These Sanskar Kendras conduct recreation activities for weaning the people from the drink habit.

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