KOHIMA: The Nagaland government has announced plans to revisit the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act of 1989, with the possibility of partially lifting the prohibition in certain areas.
The state government decided to revisit the NLTP Act during a recent Cabinet meeting held at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat in Kohima.
The matter is likely to be discussed during the monsoon session of the Nagaland Assembly scheduled on August 27 and 29 for further possible amendments.
Spokesperson of the state government and Minister for Power and Parliamentary Affairs, K G Kenye, stated that the government is reconsidering to revisit the NLTP Act, which has not been reviewed since its enactment over three decades.
He highlighted that there has been an unregulated inflow of illicit liquor into the state despite a prohibition law, which poses serious health risks, particularly to the younger generation.
He further added that the absence of regulatory mechanisms has given free rein to bootleggers, thereby allowing them to smuggle substandard and potentially harmful liquor.
The Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act of 1989 prohibits the production, sale, consumption, and possession of liquor in Nagaland, India.
The Act also prohibits the import and export of liquor, and the use of any materials, utensils, or tools used to manufacture liquor.
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The Act also bans the publication of advertisements for liquor in newspapers and periodicals.
While acknowledging the efforts of the church leaders and law enforcement in curbing the menace of alcohol, Kenye noted that total prohibition has not succeeded in Nagaland.
