Congress demands tabling of Puri hooch tragedy report

Bhuabneswar, Mar 20 (UNI) Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in the Orissa Assembly J B Pattnaik today demanded that the 2001 Puri hooch tragedy Commission report be soon placed before the House.

Reacting to the announcement of a judicial inquiry by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik into the death of 15 people in Ganjam allegedly in spurious liquor tragedy, the Leader of Opposition said the government should make public the Puri liquor tragedy Commission report before going for another Commission of Inquiry.

Mr Pattnaik said though the report on Puri hooch tragedy had already been submitted by the Commission, the government had not yet tabled it before the Assembly.

The action of the government had led to the common belief that the report was explosive and the government was scared of placing it before the Assembly, he remarked.

Mr Pattnaik claimed that if tabled, the Commission report would expose the unholy nexus among the liquor mafias, the officials and many important politicians, including some Ministers of the present government.

Mr Pattnaik said it was most unfortunate that while 17 people had already been killed in the liquor tragedy in Ganjam district during the past three days, the state government was still waiting for the viscera report to confirm the deaths.

He said while the Excise Minister was unable to say whether it was a liquor tragedy or anything else, the Chief Minister had ordered for a judicial probe into the incident.

The Leader of Opposition described as ''ridiculous'' the claim of the district administration that the people in Ganjam had died of old age, tuberculosis and gastro diseases.

Quoting the source of the MKCG Medical College at Berhampur, he said eleven people were brought to the hospital of whom four died, while the rest seven were undergoing alcoholic intoxication treatment at the hospital.

He said the Chief Minister and the Excise Minister instead of facing the truth were making statement in the Assembly to mislead the people.

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