Following the Pune hooch tragedy, Congress leader Sachin Sawant said raids were conducted in places including Bhiwandi, resulting in the seizure of methanol stockpiles and the destruction of illicit distilleries. (Express photo by Arul Horizon)The death of over 20 people due to spurious liquor in Pune last week prompted the government to wake up and take action. While 26 officials and employees have been penalised in what appears to be an attempt to demonstrate accountability, these actions are far from satisfactory, the Maharashtra Congress said on Friday.“In 2015, 106 people lost their lives in the Malwani hooch tragedy, following which the state government had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary. However, no meaningful action has been taken by the government or the concerned departments to implement the committee’s recommendations. It is this irresponsibility on the part of the government and administration that has resulted in the loss of over 20 lives in Pune. The Fadnavis government must explain what became of the Malwani Committee’s recommendations,” demanded Congress National Secretary Sachin Sawant who is also the Telangana Co-in-charge.Sawant said on February 17, 2022, Maharashtra Home Department had issued directions to all departments to implement the Malwani Committee’s recommendations. “These recommendations included bringing the production and transportation of methanol under the strict control of the State Excise Department; launching rigorous campaigns by the police and excise departments against illegal country liquor manufacturing units; ensuring information sharing between departments; conducting joint operations; permanently shutting down illegal liquor production centres through stringent measures; and ensuring continuous enforcement.”The committee had also recommended strong action against organised criminals and slumlords involved in the illegal liquor trade, including invoking the MPDA Act against them and taking strict action even if they enjoyed political patronage. “Despite these recommendations being circulated to all departments, such incidents continue to occur, clearly indicating that the state government has failed across departments,” Sawant said.Must Read | CID arrests two in methanol supply chain in hooch tragedy, 20 deaths confirmedHe noted the Food and Drug Administration Department recently stated in a press note that strict action would henceforth be taken directly against those violating the Food and Drugs Act, 1940, and related laws and regulations, and that stern action would be initiated against any individual or institution endangering public health. “This itself suggests that such action was not being taken earlier. Sawant questioned whether the government would continue to wake up only after tragedies occurred and demanded an answer.”The Pune hooch tragedy, Sawant said, is not merely a case of administrative failure in one locality; it is a test of whether the state government learned any lessons from past disasters. “After the Malwani tragedy, the committee appointed by the government had made several important recommendations to curb the illegal manufacture and sale of liquor. The most crucial question is whether those recommendations were ever implemented.”Even more serious, Sawant said, is the fact that the committee had recommended the creation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), stocking antidotes, and training doctors and healthcare personnel to prevent loss of life in cases of poisonous liquor consumption. “How prepared were these systems during the Pune tragedy? Did the concerned hospitals have the necessary medicines and trained personnel available?”Story continues below this adSawant further pointed out that the Malwani Committee had noted with concern that accused persons involved in the illegal liquor trade were often securing bail easily and returning to the same business. “Consequently, it had recommended amendments to the law to facilitate stricter action. What steps has the government taken in this regard? Had the recommendations made after the Malwani tragedy been effectively implemented, could the Pune tragedy have been prevented?”’Also Read | Hooch deaths: 4 Pune Rural cops suspended for being in contact with key accusedAccording to the Congress leader, government should not assume that suspending a few local officials amounts to accountability. It must disclose what action has been taken on each recommendation of the Malwani Committee, which recommendations remain pending, and why they have not been implemented, he said.Following the Pune tragedy, Sawant said raids were conducted in places including Bhiwandi, resulting in the seizure of methanol stockpiles and the destruction of illicit distilleries. “Why does the administration become active only after a tragedy occurs? Why are such aggressive enforcement actions not carried out regularly? Until the Pune incident, were the police, the State Excise Department, and the flying squads unaware of these illegal liquor operations?” he asked.“Neither the Pune flying squad nor the state-level flying squad had registered a single case against the criminals involved in Pune. To claim that no one in the administration knew about an illicit liquor business that had been operating for 40 years is absurd. This clearly indicates that everyone—from senior state leadership down to lower-level officials—was aware of the situation,” Sawant alleged.