Dharwad sees rise in excise, lottery revenue

The Karnataka government has commended the Hubli-Dharwad police commissioner Narayan Nadamani for his efforts in curbing the illicit liquor trade and, unauthorised lottery and matka in the twin cities.

Principal secretary (finance) N Gokul Ram in the commendation said, earnings from the sale of Indian made liquor (IML) and beer had risen sharply in Dharwad in 2005-2006.

He attributed this to the efforts to curb illegal liquor manufacture and trade in the notorious Kamaripet area and elsewhere.

IML worth around Rs 51.15 crore was sold in 2005-2006 while the figure for 2004-2005 was Rs 33.56 crore. The sale of IML till July this fiscal has been Rs 18.12 crore.

Similarly, there has been an increase in the sale of beer. While beer worth around Rs 12.5 crore was sold in 2004-2005, it rose to over Rs 15.14 crore in 2005-2006. This year till July, the sale has been to the tune of Rs 5.03 crore.

The police initiated action against matka operators and unauthorised single digit lottery, and it has shown results.

Those engaged in matka have shifted to Karnataka state lottery. The earnings from the sale of lottery in 2004-05 were Rs 11.06 crore and in 2005-2006, they shot up to Rs 40.65 crore. This year till July, the state lottery tickets worth Rs 15.15 crore have been sold.

It was the then police commissioner, K V Gagandeep, who cracked down on Kamaripet. The manufacture and sale of illicit liquor fell considerably.

The police booked cases against the liquor barons under the Anti-Goonda Act and sent them to jail. Nadamani, who took over as commissioner in July 2005, brought it to a logical end and arrested three persons under the Anti"�Goonda Act.

Though most of the illegal activities have been curbed, there are some grey areas that the police need to tackle.