Methanol Menace Triggers Reform, 'Rangla Punjab Society' Unveiled

In the wake of a deadly methanol-laced liquor tragedy that killed 23 people in Amritsar, the Punjab government has launched a dual-response strategy—seeking central regulation of methanol and creating the 'Rangla Punjab Society' to boost public and diaspora-driven development.

- TARUNI GANDHI

With barely around a year and a half left for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, the AAP-run state government seems to be getting into top gear. Resolved to deliver on the ground, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has come centre stage in spearheading two key initiatives. On one hand, he has called for stricter national regulation of methanol under the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act (IDRA), 1951. On the other hand, he has launched an ambitious agenda for mobilising public and diaspora support for Punjab's development through a new initiative titled the 'Rangla Punjab Society'.

These steps follow in the wake of an increasingly vigilant and impatient public, as well as intensifying national criticism after another tragedy involving bootlegged liquor in Punjab. The recent fatalities of 23 individuals in Amritsar after consuming spurious alcohol with methanol have reopened old wounds and laid bare existing regulatory loopholes.

The Punjab Government, in the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and led by Cheema as a policy driver, now intends to make unprecedented changes to governance and development models with great urgency.

METHANOL TRAGEDY IN MAJITHA, AMRITSAR