Dimapur: The church bodies in Nagaland called for implementing the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act 1989 in letter and spirit while the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) opposed its lifting.
In the backdrop of the Committee on NLTP Act, 1989 held a consultative meeting with the stakeholders to study the issues relating to the implementation of the Act with various stakeholders in Kohima recently.
At the meeting, adviser to excise to department Zhaleo Rio said the state government has not taken any decision to lift the NLPT Act, 1989 and that the meeting was being held to discuss and know the stand of the stakeholders in the State.
The Phom Baptist Christian Association and Christian Forum Dimapur have appealed to the government to strictly implement the Act.
Describing the NLTP Act as “a Spiritual Law”, the Phom Baptist Christian Association said, “spiritual law is always virtuous for the citizens.”
In a release, the executive secretary of the association N Tialemba Phom said the government and NGO leaders need to respect, value, embrace and preserve “this Spiritual Law (Act) to truly protect us from all harms.”
The Christian Forum Dimapur has resolved to appeal to the state government to implement the Act 1989.
At a meeting, the forum declared that the churches are ready to come forward to support the government in implementing the Act.
Opposing the purported proposal to lift the Act, the NPCC accused the government of failing to implement it by deliberately allowing mafias to supply alcohol all over the state.
Pradesh Congress president K Therie said those mafias have an established system of transportation in connivance with all check gates and supplying in terms of truckloads.
He stated that it was the small entrepreneurs who are doing it for their livelihood, who are caught and their economy crashed.
“For the liquor caught inside the state, if the government tracks back through the gates and on all those who are on duty and have facilitated its transport will prove that they are in connivance,” Therie said.
He stated that the objective of the NLTP Act was not only to cancel permits and transportation. He added that it is more important to stop the madness of alcohol addicts which destroys personal health, future, family, children, society and economy.