Chandigarh, June 18 -- Excise and taxation minister Harpal Cheema on Wednesday urged the Union government to take immediate, decisive action to regulate and monitor Methyl Alcohol (Methanol). He emphasised the need to enact dedicated central legislation to safeguard precious human lives and prevent future hooch tragedies. He expressed these views while chairing a high-level review meeting with additional chief secretary (excise) DK Tiwari and excise and taxation commissioner Jitendra Jorwal, according to a press release. He said nearly 90% of methanol consumed within India is imported from foreign countries. He said because methanol crosses several inter-state borders, its movement falls under Entry 41 of List I of the Seventh Schedule of Constitution, which governs trade and commerce with foreign countries and inter-state trade. "Consequently, no single state government possesses the legal jurisdiction or technical infrastructure to track or regulate this supply chain independently. This makes a central legislative framework constitutionally imperative for effective oversight," he said....