HISAR, June 21 — The notorious liquor mafia that had ensured the failure of prohibition in Haryana is active once again forcing liquor contractors to slash rates and offer sops to Bacchus lovers to meet competition from liquor smuggled in from the neighbouring states.

The extent of smuggling can be gauged from the fact that throwing all norms to the winds liquor shops are now offering concessional rates for bulk purchases for parties and marriages. Besides, they have cut rates from 5 to 15 per cent depending upon the price of a brand. After a recent meeting here a spokesperson of the contractors announced the cut in rates and concessions for bulk purchases.

Bulk purchase of liquor is controlled by the Excise Act which restricts sale of more than six bottles of whisky and 12 bottles of beer to an individual. Needless to say that an individual can possess only this quantity unless he has a special licence in which case purchases have to be made from L1 depot which denotes a licensed wholesale liquor dealer. The retail sales shops (L4) cannot exceed these limits on sale.

Almost the entire liquor trade in the state is controlled by a group of contractors in which the majority shareholder is an influential contractor belonging to Fetehabad district. The other partners differ from district to district and help in running the day to day affairs of the trade at the local level. This conglomerate controls liquor trade in all but two of the 19 districts.

However, despite their political influence and control over the trade, the contractors fear heavy losses for the second successive year because of stiff competition from liquor smuggled in from Rajasthan by the same mafia which had turned the then dry Haryana wetter than the states where liquor sales were legal during 1996-97. Most of the smuggled liquor is being dumped in the rural areas. However, this is not to say that urban areas are outside their operational limits.

Trade sources say liquor in Rajasthan has always been cheaper than Haryana. During prohibition, Rajasthan contractors had set up vends within yards of the borders to attract customers from the then dry state. When the liquor mafia took over illegal trade of liquor in Haryana, the traders across the border even set up godowns near the border check posts. Many of these were shifted after strong protests from the then Haryana Government.

Such godowns have now come up again leading to a spurt in smuggling from Rajasthan which shares borders with Haryana in several districts. In fact, the contractors had raised rates of liquor sharply at regular intervals throughout last year but still suffered losses. This year in a bid to make up last year’s losses they jacked rates considerably. However, this only made smuggling of liquor from Rajashan lucrative once again for the Mafiosi who had made their millions during prohibition.

The mafia is reported to have roped in police officers yet again and heavy smuggling is now taking place all over the state especially areas bordering Rajasthan. Following a clamour by the contractors the police in several districts intensified its campaign against the mafia, but this has not curbed liquor smuggling. Besides jobless youths have also installed stills in villages where they pack illegally distilled liquor in bottles with labels of all popular brands.

Although the home delivery system or dial a bottle service which was so prevalent during prohibition has not yet been introduced, contractors fear that if smuggling continued as at present, reintroduction of these services would only be a matter of time.