Bhubaneswar, Feb. 21 -- The State Excise Department has turned to drones in its latest efforts to dismantle the illegal liquor business across Odisha. These aerial devices are being deployed to identify and locate unlawful liquor manufacturing units in dense and reserve forests.

This advanced method, as a pilot project, was recently introduced in the reserve forests near Saraswatipur village under Athagarh block in Cuttack district.

Drone footage enabled the department to locate numerous liquor production sites nestled within these protected reserve forest areas. The initiative marks a breakthrough in addressing the challenges posed by liquor mafias who often take advantage of the inaccessible and dense forests for their illicit activit...