Editorial: Avoidable tragedy

There is a need for governments to take a public health-centred approach to alcohol rather than a moralistic one

The horrific hooch tragedy in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi, resulting in the death of over 60 people, has re-ignited the demand for the imposition of prohibition as a solution to the illicit liquor menace. However, it would be a remedy worse than the disease. Some political parties in TN have demanded the re-imposition of the dry law in a State that was under prohibition till 1971 when DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi became Chief Minister and subsequently diluted the dry law. In this time and age, prohibition is an impractical and unimplementable idea. It can neither check the scourge of alcoholism and spurious liquor nor can it help in promoting public awareness about the deleterious effects of liquor abuse. The experience from all over the world shows that total prohibition leads to bootlegging, smuggling and a thriving spurious market. There is a need for governments to take a public health-centred approach to alcohol rather than a moralistic one. The Kallakurichi tragedy was totally avoidable. A case of methanol poisoning, it basically pointed to the utter failure of the administration to prevent the flow of spurious liquor. A key question is how methanol, a highly controlled substance used to manufacture a range of products from fabrics to paints and which can lead to liver failure, blindness and death if ingested, makes its way into the hands of those brewing and selling illicit liquor. There was a failure to monitor the supply of methanol.

The district administration and the police, especially its prohibition enforcement wing, should be faulted for their failure to check illegal brewing and the sale of hooch. Some who had a direct role in the sale of hooch have been arrested, but the DMK government must ensure that everyone responsible for this tragedy is punished. In Tamil Nadu, liquor is sold through the retail outlets of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC). However, escalating taxes have made Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) expensive in the State, forcing many, especially the poor labourers, to look for cheap and, often, dangerous alternatives. The TASMAC makes huge profits every year through liquor retailing. The growing profits are a clear indicator that alcohol consumption is rising in the State, causing health problems for many and economic distress for low-income families. The police and excise patronage of hooch is another bigger issue. The successive governments in Tamil Nadu had an ambivalent position on the issue of prohibition; treat alcohol consumption as a symbol of moral and cultural decay on the one hand while on the other, depend on it as a major source of revenue. Interestingly, Karunanidhi made a volte-face on liquor policy in the run-up to the 2016 Assembly polls and promised total prohibition if his party DMK was voted to power. However, the AIADMK, led by J Jayalalithaa, returned to power in that election.

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