MZ-PROHIBITION

Total prohibition in Mizoram from April
Aizawl, Feb 15 (PTI) The Zoramthanga government in
Mizoram will impose total prohibition in the state from April
this year, state Excise and Narcotics Minister K Beichhua said
Friday.
    The Mizo National Front (MNF) government, which came
to power in December 2018 after deseating the Congress, had
promised total prohibition in its election manifesto like the
other opposition parties in the face of stringent demands for
it by the church, which has a big presence in the Christian
majority state.
    The government has been drafting a prohibition law
which is likely to introduced in the state assembly in March
during the budget session, officials said.
    Prohibition had been force in the north eastern state
since February 20, 1997 when the former chief minister Lal
Thanhawla came to power heading a Congress government.
    The earlier MNF governments of Zoramthanga which was
in power from December 1998 to December 2008 had abided by it.
    Thanhawla had, however, eased the stringent
prohibition law by legislating the Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition
and Control) Act, 2014.
    The Act had come into effect from January 15, 2015
under which liquor card holders were allowed to purchase
limited amount of liquor from wine shops, which were opened
for the purpose.
    An official statement Friday said that Beichhua has
appealed to all concerned officials to be prepared to
successfully enforce the prohibition as they would otherwise
become the target of NGOs, churches and opposition parties.
    The state government would work together with the
civil societies and the churches to combat the menace of drugs
and alcohol and all the vacant posts in the excise department
would be filled up expeditiously to enforce the total
prohibition, he said at the general conference of the Mizoram
Excise and Narcotics Service Association (MENSA). PTI HCV KK
KK KK