CHANDIGARH: Going strictly by statistics, Chandigarh residents consume more liquor than residents of Punjab and Haryana. But much of the liquor is smuggled out or bought by people of Punjab and Haryana owing to its cheaper rates here. Now, with back-to-back hikes in excise duty, the UT administration aims to rid itself of the dubious distinction.
A report on road safety quotes a study by a Sangrur-based organization, which analyzed drinking patterns of IMFL and country liquor among those above 18 years. The figures are sourced to the excise departments of the three states.
The average consumption of liquor is 135.8 bottles in Chandigarh, 22.2 bottles in Haryana and 11.5 bottles in Punjab with 2010 as the base year. The study conducted by the UT police to chalk out policies on road safety highlights the need for sustained drives against drunken driving.
"It was very intriguing to find such high sales of liquor in Chandigarh, which has a total population of 10.50 lakh. But a clear picture emerges when the scenario is linked to Punjab and Haryana, where liquor sales are affected by the much cheaper rates in UT. However, with the recent 30% hike in liquor prices, things might have already begun to change," said Navdeep Asija, who conducted the study.
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