Dimapur, January 2 (MExN): The East Dimapur Area Village Council Chairmen's Forum (EDAVCCF) has extended its support to the demand of the Dimapur based CSOs led by Naga Council Dimapur for lifting of the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989.
In a press release, the forum remarked that the decades-old prohibition law has become a “cruel paradox,” causing severe damage to the “moral, social, and ethical lives of our people” instead of safeguarding them.
The EDAVCCF argued that Dimapur has become the “epicenter of illegal liquor circulation in Nagaland.” It stated that alcohol is “openly available in every locality, colony, and roadside outlet,” making a mockery of the law. It expressed concern that people of different age group including school and college-going students, are being exposed to alcohol through unregulated and illegal networks.
“The NLTP Act has not stopped drinking; instead, it has pushed drinkers into unsafe, secretive, and morally corrosive environments,” it contended.
Highlighting the societal fallout, the forum cautioned that the Act has “normalized law-breaking amongst young and old.” This erosion of respect for law and authority is one of the most damaging moral consequences of the NLTP Act, it stated.
The forum linked the illicit trade to a rise in social ills, stating, “The unchecked sale of illicit liquor has fuelled substance abuse, domestic violence, road accidents, and gang-related activities in and around Dimapur.” It also raised alarms about public health risks due to the free circulation of adulterated and spurious liquor.
Alleging the prohibition regime of fostering “moral hypocrisy,” the EDAVCCF claimed the law has empowered illegal syndicates and anti-social elements. “Instead of moral reform, we are witnessing moral hypocrisy, public condemnation on one hand and private indulgence on the other,” it added.
Clarifying its stand, the forum asserted that advocating for the repeal of the NLTP Act is not about promoting alcohol consumption. “Rather, it is a necessary step toward restoring moral accountability through regulation, transparency, and education.”
The EDAVCCF called for the introduction of a “strictly regulated liquor policy” specifically for Dimapur District. Such a policy, it argued, would help restrict underage access, enforce penalties, dismantle criminal networks, and restore the rule of law.
The forum “unequivocally” extended support to the CSOs’ demand and urged the Government of Nagaland to “initiate steps to lift the NLTP Act and introduce a strictly regulated liquor policy in Dimapur District.”
