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 center 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, he has launched an ambitious agenda for mobilizing 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
On May 13, 2025, Majitha, town in the holy city of Amritsar was hit by tragedy when 23 individuals died after drinking adulterated liquor with methanol, a lethal industrial chemical. Although such accidents have regrettably happened in the past, the magnitude and frequency of this tragedy have shaken the administration into taking immediate action. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema spoke directly to the issue, labeling it not only a law and order failure but a systemic crisis that requires central intervention.
In a comprehensive letter written to Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Cheema called the series of hooch tragedies in India a “growing national crisis.” He emphasized how methanol, usually in cheap availability with no effective regulatory control, is being increasingly abused to produce counterfeit liquor. Because of its similarity to ethanol, methanol tends to pass undetected in quality inspections and is a deadly danger if ingested. The letter called for immediate central legislative intervention to close the loopholes.
Cheema contended that the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act of 1951 gives the Centre a mandate to control industrial alcohol but, practically speaking, methanol is still in a regulatory limbo. He referred to how its manufacture, sale, and movement are still largely unchecked, making it easy for criminal gangs to siphon it off from industrial purposes into illicit liquor businesses. Backing his call, he urged:
• Tightening of IDRA through legislative adjustment to specifically add methanol as a controlled substance.
• Notification of binding regulations on its production, possession, sale, and utilization.
• A mandatory national track-and-trace requirement to trace methanol from source to destination.
• A distinctive legal framework that supports real-time intra-state enforcement.
Punjab Police later stepped up operations. In Patiala, they intercepted 600 litres of illegally imported methanol in a truck from Delhi, suspected to be used for spurious liquor manufacture. Investigations also showed that methanol is not just purchased in bulk but also being supplied via online services and carried through public transport. Decentralized distribution makes it almost impossible to track without a centralised system.
“Methanol is not a chemical anymore. It is a tool in the hands of people who will exchange human lives for gain,” Cheema cautioned. He emphasized that only a well-coordinated national policy could bring this evil to an end.
‘Rangla Punjab Society’: A Blueprint for Transparent Public Participation
While handling crisis management on one front, the Government of Punjab is also working towards establishing a long-term governance framework based on transparency and public participation. In a big step as announced by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, the government has agreed to create a new organization in the form of the ‘Rangla Punjab Society’.
This is a society that has been imagined as a platform for participatory development where NRIs, industrialists, philanthropists, and citizens can donate money directly into important state projects. Unique to this project is the devotion to complete transparency and public auditing.
The Rangla Punjab Society shall:
• Take donations from individuals and institutions in India and overseas.
• Invest funds into healthcare, education, roads, water, startups, and research.
* Keep a disaster fund in place to benefit the public in times of crises such as floods, pandemics, or earthquakes.
* Release public audits of all expenses incurred, with no scope for financial mismanagement.
There will be a Governing Board headed by the Chief Minister and comprising members such as the Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary, and involved ministers. The board will ensure that all the contributions are used for concrete, on-the-ground results which are in the interest of the people.
“This is not just a fund; it is a mass movement to rebuild Punjab with the involvement of all Punjabis,” said Cheema. He further stated that the society will act as a link between the government and the people, allowing those who have settled abroad or outside the state to contribute significantly to the progress of Punjab.
This model should win over the trust of donors who are usually skeptical of government initiatives. By involving third-party audits and making expenditure figures available in the public domain, the Rangla Punjab Society has the potential to be a gold standard of participatory governance.
A History of Methanol Deaths in Punjab
This is not the first time Punjab has witnessed the terror of methanol-related fatalities. In July 2020, over 100 individuals lost their lives in a series of hooch tragedies that rocked districts such as Tarn Taran, Amritsar Rural, and Gurdaspur. That episode saw widespread outrage and vows of change, but little shifted on the regulatory landscape.
The recent Amritsar tragedy only serves to highlight how the absence of central legislation and weak enforcement mechanisms continue to claim lives. Cheema admitted that even after previous warnings and state-level crackdowns, the lack of a unified national approach had permitted illegal liquor production to grow unchecked.
Political Implications: A Pre-Election Governance Push
With state polls to be held in early 2027, these actions are widely perceived as part of the AAP government’s larger plan to consolidate its governance credentials. The Bhagwant Mann government is under pressure to deliver visible improvements in law and order, public health, and infrastructure development. Harpal Singh Cheema, in turn, is also proving to be a face in this push in the government.
Whether these will pay off at the polls is yet to be seen, but one thing is certain: the government is trying to go beyond slogans to action. In a state struggling with issues from drug addiction and unemployment to rural distress and industrial stagnation, moves like methanol regulation and development through people could be the new beginning many are looking for.
As Cheema so eloquently expressed it, “It is time for all Punjabis to be involved in reconstructing Punjab. We cannot waste more lives or more time.”
Whether or not these measures deliver lasting transformation will be contingent upon rapid implementation and continued public activism. Yet today, they represent a promising turn toward action, accountability, and hope.
