AGARTALA: Tripura Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma on Monday said that the state government has no plan to declare Tripura as a “Dry State”.
According to Dev Varma, the social problems associated with excessive drinking should be fought unitedly without bringing any politics into it.
The Deputy Chief Minister said this on the second day of Tripura Assembly while replying to a starred question raised by BJP MLA Sudhangshu Das.
The Deputy Chief Minister said, “Altogether 2,776 people were arrested in the period of the last three years for manufacturing, storing and selling of unauthorized country liquor. In the year 2019, 1,150 people, in 2020, 941 people and in 2021, 685 persons were arrested.”
Apart from that, he said, to prevent the selling of illegal liquor special drives are being carried out to destroy illegal bars, he added.
CPI (M) MLA Sudhan Das also participated in the discussion and urged the government not to issue fresh licenses for foreign liquor shops.
Dev Varma said, “Banning commercial selling of alcohol has nothing to do with consumption. There is no scientific proof that can substantiate the fact that banning the selling of alcohol will reduce use of alcoholic substances”.