Decision on Changing Liquor Prohibition Law After Talks with Churches: Nagaland CM

Kohima: Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Tuesday informed the assembly that his government will decide on changing the three-decade-old liquor prohibition law after holding talks with civil society organisations, the public and churches.

During the first day of the monsoon session, the assembly deliberated on the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act which was enacted in 1989.

The discussion was taken up as a matter of urgent public importance relating to ‘Health Hazards of Spurious Liquor’ initiated by Advisor Moatoshi Longkumer and supplemented by Minister Temjen Imna Along and Advisor Dr Kekhrielhoulie Yhome.

Participating in the discussion, several members expressed concern about the failure of the NLTP Act to regulate the flow of liquor in the state.

They said that spurious liquor is now available in every nook and corner of the state and also in shops opened near the Assam-Nagaland border, leading to health hazards among the people of the State.

They were of the view that the state government needs to revisit the Act with the possibility of partially lifting it from some pockets with stringent measures.

However, at least three out of the 15 members who participated in the discussion were against the move to review the Act.

They were of the view that instead of revisiting the Act, the government in the Christian majority state should listen to the cry of the church bodies and some tribal organizations.

Concluding the discussion, Chief Minister Rio said the NLTP Act was enacted to address social issues related to alcohol abuse, such as domestic violence, health problems, drunken driving, and public disorders.

The Act envisaged that reducing alcohol consumption would in turn lower rates of alcohol-related diseases, thereby improving overall community health among others. The policy was put in tune with the circumstances of the time, he said.

The statute has been in place for over three decades now and the impact is there for all to see, he said, adding that “we cannot say that it has been successful and there are various factors for this which I will briefly touch upon”.

Historically and contemporarily, efforts to ban alcohol have led to unintended and often detrimental consequences that highlight the challenges of enforcing such policies - the rise of black market, increased criminal activity such as rise in syndicate suppliers, spurious and inferior quality among many others, he said.

The state government can only regulate and restrict sale and flow of liquor but it cannot outrightly prohibit individuals from drinking which is essentially a matter of personal choice, he said.

“If we see the spatial history of the prohibition policy, it has been observed that the policy has been largely effective in rural areas in the state. On the other hand, in the urban areas, we have witnessed a huge failure,” he said.

"The Church has also been vocal on this matter and we genuinely appreciate the apprehensions of the Church," he said.

Stating that blaming the state government will not improve the situation, as this needs a collective resolution and participation from every section of the community, Rio said.

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