BAHAWALPUR, May 30: The trade of poisonous liquor is on the rise in different parts of the district. According to information collected after the death of seven people due to poisonous alcohol in Nazirabad Colony here the other day, it is learnt that more than 500 places, including several homoeopathic stores, were sales centres of the locally produced liquor under the pretext of medicines.

This liquor is reportedly sold for Rs80 to Rs130 at the shops located in various katchi abadis and thickly populated areas of the city in addition to the towns of Ahmadpur East, Hasilpur, Khairpur Tamewali and Yazman.

As regards the licenced permit holders of liquor, there were about 300 of them in the district and they belonged to minority communities as no Muslim is entitled to this permit. These licence holders sell their weekly quota brought from Lahore at high prices.

According to health department officials, the check on sale of poisonous liquor was primarily the responsibility of the excise department officials, who were always seen inactive owing to their interests. Moreover, the police officials also seemed unconcerned although a police source claimed that action was promptly taken when the tips were available to its officials.

According to him, police registered 1,480 cases last year and arrested 1,535 people, whose cases were submitted in the respective courts.

PRISONERS RELEASED: A three-member team of judges on Tuesday ordered release of 20 prisoners involved in petty crimes after a visit to local jails.

The team comprising district and sessions judge Syed Ijaz Husain Shah, judicial magistrate Tariq Javed and civil judge Naeem Sheikh inspected the New Central Jail and Borstal.