Rohingya crisis: Bangladesh seeks international support
Kolkata, Dec 1 : A Bangladeshi diplomat Saturday stressed the need for international help to overcome the Rohingya refugee crisis in the country and said being the largest nation in South Asia, India had a huge role to play in building trust in the region.
Shahanaj Akhter Ranu, the political counsellor of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in the city, said political stability was necessary for economic growth and the non-state refugee issue was having an impact on the neighbouring country.
"We need international help and cooperation to repatriate the Rohingya people to their homeland," she said at the MCCI Logistics Forum.
India had more responsibility in building trust in the region, being the largest country in South Asia, Ranu added.
Bangladesh had in the past also sought India's support in handling the Rohingya issue by mounting pressure on Myanmar to take back the refugees who had taken shelter in the country.
According to the United Nations (UN), nearly seven lakh Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar's Rakhine state to Bangladesh since August, 2017.
Bangladesh has accused the Myanmar government of failing to tackle the concerns over the Rohingya Muslims who fled the country and urged the UN Security Council to take action to ensure their safe return home.
Ranu also called for a faster implementation of the BBIN MVA (The Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal Motor Vehicles Agreement) for a greater economic growth in the region.
Bangladesh, India and Nepal have already given their nod to the operating procedures for the movement of passenger vehicles in the sub-region.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
ALSO READ: BJP accuses Karnataka govt of 'failing' to prevent noise pollution caused by 'azaan'
He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
