Lift NLTP Act or Check ‘Liquor Black Market’ in Nagaland?

Lift NLTP Act? Voices of Nagaland cry out ‘No Way’! We cannot afford to trade ‘Nagaland Dry State’ with liquor, revenue, tourists or anything. Once again it is time for the Church to wake up and lift up the banner high and strong. Church should take the lead again and other NGOs will follow. It is time Nagaland Government really own the NLTP Act and keep it alive instead of planning to ‘kill’ it! A concerted and coordinated effort of Government, Church and NGOs will go a long way in keeping Nagaland safe from Liquor.

Some politicians have been mulling over the idea of lifting NLTP Act for some years now. Under the ‘sleepy eyes’ of government enforcing agencies, we witness unchecked movement of liquor across borders and ‘liquor black market’ operating in the state. They can always brush it off with statements like, ‘we have not got any such reports’. Before the Act is lifted, it is actually lifted on the ground.  Why are the enforcing agencies a mute witness to illegal flow and operation of liquor black market in Nagaland? What was the underlying motive of relaxing NLTP during Hornbill Festival? Is there a strategic process underway paving the way to lift the NLTP Act?

Some Political leaders seem to be lured by the prospect of multi-crore revenue to be generated from the sale of liquor, which will only go into the pockets of some ‘privileged people’. If legalised, only some rich people controlling liquor store chains will benefit from it. Some must have already designed Liquor Malls. Drunkards will obviously want liquor ban to be lifted because they are waiting for the day to buy ‘good liquor’ easily at ‘printed price’ So lift NLTP Act for whom and what?

If NLTP Act is lifted, Nagas will be mass addicted to it leading to an uncontrollable series of personal and social ills. Liquor nuisance in Nagaland in the 1980s will resurrect in the streets, homes, gatherings, social circles, etc. Besides economic effects, it will have adverse social, mental, and emotional effects on children, adults and the old alike in differing ways. Multi-crore revenue generated from the sale of liquor in the state will not be able to compensate the negative impacts caused by lifting the NLTP Act.

We cannot compromise ‘Nagaland Dry State’ with ‘revenue’, ’Hornbill festival’, ‘tourist attraction’, etc. While ‘loss of revenue’ in reality is loss of ‘pocket money’ of some ‘privileged people’ of the state, the rest of arguments (Hornbill festival attraction, tourist attraction, etc) are just made up stories. Who said tourists come to Nagaland to drink liquor?

The pertinent question which no one seems to be bothered with is, why the enforcing agencies are simply silent witnesses to the operation of ‘black liquor market’ in Nagaland? When it comes to any act of the government, Church or NGOs can act only as pressure groups and not as enforcing agencies. As of now, it looks like the State Government passed the NLTP Act only on the behest and pressure of the Church. The state should own the act and act upon it; it should not push the responsibility to keep it alive to Church or NGOs.

The State Government should understand NLTP Act deeply with far sightedness and keep the Act alive through its enforcing agencies. Instead of mulling over to lift the ban, government should check ‘liquor black market’ in Nagaland. Besides, the government should find alternative means of generating revenue and also come up with innovative processes like state-of-the-art liquor rehabilitation and detoxification centers. Nagaland government should make targeted phase wise plan to eradicate liquor from Nagaland.

Dr. Walunir