Morung Express News
Kohima | September 2
Prohibitory laws cannot seem to amend the demand of the alcohol market in Nagaland. Act or no act, the demand for alcohol remains uncompromising, and whatever the cost or quality, there’s always a crowd.
There has been a mushrooming of bars and conspicuous mineral water shops, which are allegedly in the business of selling alcohol. Alcohol bars can be seen in many hotels. Besides the grand hotels and fully operational bars, many cafes too serve alcohol in various forms of mocktails and cocktails.
Meanwhile, a few of prominent such outlets have started home delivery by two wheelers. A regular who often uses their services informed, “you give a call and its right there at your doorstep.”
A source familiar with the IMFL trade said that with the lifting of check gates, the inflow of IMFL has increased by double count but the prices of the assorted liquor has remained the same. The source said that “police mobile squads have become over active in nabbing petty bootleggers who normally transport small quantities in local cabs and taxis.”
It was learnt that if the police squad catch hold of four crates of IMFL, a crate is usually taken by the police and three are returned in exchange of money paid to the police.
Nexus
Senior Journalist, H Chishi observed that the mushrooming of booze dens and illegal liquor shops in the state “amply tells us that law-enforcing agency Police is part of bootlegging.”
Without taking cuts and commission from the bootleggers, police and excise will never allow mushrooming of IMFL shops in every nook and corner, including posh areas in Kohima city, he stated matter-of-factly.
“Without police in nexus with the bootleggers, trucks loaded with IMFL can never enter Kohima” said Chishi validating his observation.
Making a satirical remarked, he asked “police and excise can crack down petty bootleggers but not big time Liquor barons?”
On the other hand, he opined that Church based organisation, NBCC should be pragmatic with this chronic issue, as the NLTP Act is doing bad rather than good.
“The bottom-line is, Nagaland government has miserably failed to implement Prohibition Act due to various factors and it is time to review the Act” commented Chishi.
Incompetence or collusion?
Anonymously speaking to The Morung Express, a high ranking police officer assessing the ground reality surrounding the NLTP Act and the thriving bars commented, “it is either incompetence or in collusion and nothing else.”
“If I am not able to find out,” he said, “it is incompetence, or in collusion of taking money from someone.” The officer added that the general public attitude of “let it be” is not helping the situation either.
“If they don’t know, it is bad, but if they want to find out, they can find out easily. Either way it is bad,” the officer said.
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