It is a State where prohibition is in force. You are recently appointed as the Superintendent of Police of a district notorious for illicit distillation of liquor. The illicit liquor leads to many deaths, reported and unreported, and causes a major problem for the district authorities. The approach till now had been to view it as a law and order problem and tackle it accordingly. Raids, arrests, police cases, criminal trials – all these had only limited impact. The problem remains as serious as ever. Your inspections show that the parts of the district where the distillation flourishes are economically, industrially and educationally backward. Agriculture is badly affected by poor irrigation facilities. Frequent clashes among communities gave boost to illicit distillation. No major initiatives had taken place in the past either from the government’s side or from social organizations to improve the lot of the people. Which new approach will you adopt to bring the problem under control?

As the new SP, I recognise that decades of pure enforcement have failed because illicit distillation here is rooted in poverty, backwardness and social conflict, not merely crime. A sustainable solution must address causes, not only symptoms.

Dimensions of the crisis

• Public health: deaths from spurious liquor, reported and unreported.
• Socio-economic: economic, industrial and educational backwardness; distillation as a survival livelihood.
• Agrarian: poor irrigation crippling farming, pushing people to illicit trade.
• Social: inter-community clashes fuelling the illicit economy.
• Governance: absence of past state or civil-society initiative.

A new approach

I would combine firm but intelligent enforcement with a development and community strategy:

• Smart enforcement: target the financiers and supply chains, not just poor petty distillers; use intelligence and go after the profit, while treating small operators as candidates for rehabilitation.
• Alternative livelihoods: converge with district administration for MGNREGA works, skilling, micro-credit/SHGs and irrigation improvement so families have honest income.
• Community mobilisation: partner with Gram Sabhas, women's SHGs and NGOs – women, the worst sufferers of liquor, are powerful allies; build peace committees to reduce inter-community clashes.
• Health response: de-addiction camps, awareness drives and medical outreach.
• Education: restore schooling through incentives and infrastructure.

Since enforcement alone lies within my direct powers, I will lead on smart policing while coordinating with the Collector and line departments for the developmental components, and monitor outcomes jointly.

This reframes the issue from a law-and-order problem to a governance and development challenge – the only approach likely to bring lasting control.