Surat Shines in Cleanliness, But Ranks Top in Liquor Smuggling in Dry Gujarat

Surat : Surat, the city of diamonds, textiles, and now India’s cleanest, harbors a secret vice – it’s the top spot for liquor consumption in the dry state of Gujarat.

Despite a strict prohibition on alcohol, Surat’s thirst for liquor seems unquenchable. The State Monitoring Cell (SMC) in Gujarat reveals a startling statistic: 44% of the 2,720 prohibition and liquor smuggling cases registered in the last decade originated from Surat. This translates to a staggering seizure of Rs 21 crore worth of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and Rs 44 crore worth of contraband in just 887 cases within the city limits.

The information, unearthed through an RTI application filed by Surat-based activist Sanjay Ezhawa, paints a disturbing picture. Out of the total 2,720 cases across the state, Rs 75 crore worth of IMFL and Rs 149 crore worth of contraband were seized. While Surat leads the pack, Ahmedabad comes a close second with Rs 7.62 crore worth of liquor and Rs 15.25 crore worth of contraband seized in 419 cases over the last decade. Vadodara follows suit with Rs 10 crore worth of liquor and Rs 18.81 crore worth of liquor seized.

Ezhawa, aghast by the figures, believes these statistics point to a worrying nexus between bootleggers and law enforcement. “Amidst strict prohibition, the sheer quantity of liquor seized from Surat suggests that the police are turning a blind eye to the illegal trade,” he asserts. “This is a serious matter that demands immediate attention and investigation.”

Surat’s contradictory image – a city gleaming with cleanliness yet grappling with rampant liquor smuggling – raises crucial questions about the effectiveness of prohibition and the role of law enforcement. While Surat’s recent achievement of being India’s cleanest city is commendable, the hidden underbelly of liquor smuggling casts a shadow on this success.

Surat with its burgeoning diamond and textile industries has attracted a large workforce from other states with high disposable income, potentially fuelling the demand for alcohol in the city.

Secondly, Surat is strategically located with close proximity with the union territory of Daman and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (DNH) and Maharashtra. Daman and DNH, where alcohol is legal, makes smuggling easier. Smuggled liquor enters Surat from all three modes—road, rail and seaway.

“Clamping down on the drunkards and revelers on the New Year’s eve is not going to solve the purpose and the effectiveness of liquor prohibition. The SMC teams are raiding Surat, because the Surat police is involved in the illegal liquor trade” said Ezhava.