After Nagaland liquor Total Prohibition was implemented in 1989 for the last 20 years upto 2009. The seizures and arrest were quite minimum upto 1989-2009 only around 5400 cases registered. But during the last 4 years it has doubly increased and the revenue from Excise Department through penalty fines and Excise .duty is the highest this year i.e. Rs. 4.5 crores after Prohibition was imposed in the state.
During the last 4 years i.e. 2010-2014 a total of 6043 persons have been booked under NLTP Act and a total of around 6020 cases registered under NL TP Act. Specially during 2013 the Election Commission of India have given Award to the Excise Department for effectively controlling liquor during the State Assembly election 2013. The Government of Nagaland has notified on 21st May 2012 for appointment of O/C's of all Police station under section 25 & 26 of the Nl TP Act 1989 to function as Prohibition Officers in Nagaland with immediate effect.
However as per the resolution submitted by Naga Women Hoho Dimapur to the Government on 28/7/2012, the loopholes in the NL TP Act 1989 is that the penalties and punishments for Commission of the offence is too lenient and light which enable the offenders to repeat bigger offence because it does not affect the habitual criminal offenders. So the habitual offenders be awarded with stringent punishment for the NL TP Act 1989 to be meaningful at least one year imprisonment should be awarded and more penalty for the habitual offenders. It is pertinent to mention that Assam Government has issued wholesale Bonded Warehouse licences and maximum retail liquor shops permits all along Assam-Nagaland borders starting from Bokajan to Namtola.
Several PIL public interest litigation has been filed in the court to prevent such rampant issue of whole sale and retail liquor permits in the immediate Border of Nagaland more PIL should be tiled in the High Court against such rampant issue of license. The NBCC General Secretary and leaders met the undersigned on several occasions and have given maximum moral support to the Excise Department and it was discussed that workshops and Seminars in sensitizing the evil menace caused by the intake of alcohol would be taken up vigorously and to remind the Government to give quality professional support to alcohol and drug rehab centers in the state.
The ABAM social concern committee also invited the undersigned as resource person in the beginning of the year in order to educate and care for the addicts and to encourage Government agencies and NGOS to implement the Act effectively and impart education through Data collection & Analysis & literature. In the meeting with NBCC & ABAM it was discussed that Prohibition is a people's war against evil where every citizens has a part to play; instead of blaming one another.
The civic sense awareness among the people is required that drinking alcohol is Prohibited in all Public places, be it in the official functions or in the guest Houses, Hotels etc. Through alcoholism state Government is spending crores of money in Medical re-imbursements of Government servants every year which adversely affects the State economy.
Approval for making "A new Curriculum in the School Text Book on Alcoholism & Drugs" has been submitted to the Government by Excise Department so as to overcome this menace and educate the children at the school level as the ultimate result is that the younger generations are being lured to this addiction and has become a great burden for the society.
Since 80% of Naga Population is in the Villages, all Village Councils should firmly support the Nagaland Total Prohibition Act and deal stringently with the liquor barons and liquor smugglers in the Villages. With a meager force of 336 Excise enforcement Personnel in the whole State the department is trying its best to enforce the NLTP Act. Several proposals for post creation of Excise Personnel are awaited from the Government for effective implementation of the NLTP Act.
Maongwati Aier, IAS,
Commissioner of Excise
Nagaland: Dimapur
