Chennai, May 22 (IANS): The police and excise department of Tamil Nadu are carrying out raids in several districts in a bid to crack down on illegal arrack sales and liquor smuggling from other states, said officials on Monday.

The Prohibition and Excise wing of Tamil Nadu is taking details of the TASMAC liquor outlets where the sale is poor and with the support of police is conducting raids in these areas.

According to a senior official of the excise department, a drop in the sale of liquor from TASMAC outlets was recorded in many districts. The official said that the reduction in business was mainly due to cheap liquor available in these areas and this is mainly in areas where daily wage labourers and fishermen are living.

Tamil Nadu Police have also stepped up vigil at the borders of Karnataka as in many areas used bottles of Karnataka liquor were found in the waste bins and on roadside.

According to sources in the Tamil Nadu Prohibition and Excise wing, several flying squads have been deployed for the crackdown against illegal liquor in the state.

The crackdown follows the death of 22 people in two separate incidents of drinking illicit liquor in Villupuram and Chengalpattu districts. As many as 44 people were admitted to various hospitals in the two districts and around 15 of them complained of partial blindness following the consumption of spurious liquor.