Mizoram to review prohibition law: excise minister

The Zoram Peoples Movement ZPM government in Mizoram will review the states prohibition law that banned the sale and consumption of liquor in the state except for certain areas, the assembly was informed on Wednesday.

The Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) government in Mizoram will review the state's prohibition law that banned the sale and consumption of liquor in the state except for certain areas, the assembly was informed on Wednesday. The Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition) Act, 2019 was introduced by the previous Mizo National Front (MNF) government. ''The existing prohibition law is under assessment and scrutiny. The law will be reviewed if need arises,'' Excise and Narcotics Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar said in the assembly.

The law is not applicable in areas of three autonomous district councils in the southern part of the state. In reply to a question from Lalchhandama Ralte of the opposition MNF, Hmar said that the government is making efforts to strengthen the excise and narcotics force. Some vacant officer posts will be filled at the earliest and steps will be taken to purchase vehicles, arms and equipment required for investigation for the department, he said.

The minister said that efforts are on to upgrade the excise department office building and staff quarters. There has been debate on various platforms that the existing prohibition law needs to be reviewed as Mizoram has limited sources of revenue and many people died of alcohol consumption despite it being a dry state. Health Minister Lalrinpuii recently informed the assembly that the state registered 438 alcohol-related deaths, including 77 women, during the past 10 months since April last year. Prohibition was reimposed in 2019 in Mizoram after a gap of four years when the MNF government notified an act on May 28 that year. With the powerful churches and community-based organisations favouring a stringent prohibition law, Mizoram was virtually dry all the time since India's independence. Though partial prohibition was in place, the state government allowed opening of wine shops in 1984 under the provisions of the Mizoram Excise Act, 1973 but those shops and bars were closed from 1987 and partial prohibition continued.

The Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act of 1995 was enforced on February 20, 1997, imposing a complete ban on liquor..

In January 2015, a new law was notified, that allowed wine shops to open in the state. After coming to power, the MNF changed the policy following its poll promise and moved towards the imposition of dry law again.

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