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Drone Surveillance for Liquor Prohibition Enforcement

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Bihar Prohibition and Excise Department

The Bihar Prohibition and Excise Department is the state agency responsible for enforcing prohibition laws that ban the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol across Bihar. The department coordinates operations with local police units, district administration authorities, and river patrol teams operating along the Ganga and its tributaries. Garuda Aerospace was engaged as the technology partner to deploy drone systems and field operations teams across the Ganga river corridor

The Challenge

Enforcing prohibition laws across large riverine areas created five distinct operational challenges for Bihar's authorities:

Illegal liquor brewing units located in isolated sandy riverbanks and temporary settlements unreachable by road or foot patrol

Smugglers transporting liquor and raw materials by boat across the Ganga, making interception by ground teams extremely difficult

Traditional enforcement relied on manual patrols and infrequent raids, making continuous surveillance of large riverbank stretches impossible

Much illegal brewing activity occurs during late-night or early-morning hours when visibility is low and enforcement presence is minimal

Country-liquor brewing units (bhattis) concealed within sandbanks, dense vegetation, or temporary structures — invisible to ground-level patrols

The Drone Solution

Geography:Ganga River corridor across multiple districts of Bihar, commenced 2021 near Digha, Patna

Tools Used:Drone surveillance with high-resolution cameras, CCTV & GPS tracking

Efficiency: Real-time aerial feeds and GPS-based location intelligence enabling targeted, intelligence-led raids

Outcome:Detected hidden brewing sites, seized 8,600 kg of Jawa-Mahua in one case, and established continuous multi-district surveillance across river and land smuggling routes

Outcomes

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Drone surveillance enabled authorities to detect illegal liquor brewing units (bhattis) in remote sandy areas previously unmonitorable using conventional ground methods.

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Real-time aerial monitoring delivered actionable intelligence for precise, targeted operations — including the seizure of approximately 8,600 kg of Jawa-Mahua in one reported incident.

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GPS coordinate marking allowed excise teams and police units to deploy rapidly to exact locations, significantly improving raid success rates.

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Sustained drone patrols monitored both river and land smuggling routes along the Ganga corridor, enabling proactive enforcement and deterrence across multiple districts.

Reference Case Study

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