Counter the Alcohol Menace

Counter the Alcohol Menace

The excise policy followed by the Government of Assam is perplexing in the sense that it goes against the very concept of a welfare state. In a welfare state, the government is expected to take strong measures to eliminate all vices from society to secure the well-being of its people, one among which is the rampant consumption of liquor. To the contrary, our excise policy promotes the manufacture and sale of liquor of various hues on the pretext of earning revenue.

First is the Indian-made foreign liquor or IMFL, sold through liquor shops and bars. These shops and bars open at 10 am and are allowed to continue with their brisk business till 10 pm. Second is the manufacture and sale of various cheap alcoholic beverages under the very aegis of the excise department. Traditionally known as mohols in Assam, some cheap varieties churned out by them and stylishly christened as rhino, mosti etc are sold like hot cakes in many parts of the State. Over and above these are our traditional alcoholic beverages going by names like lao pani, xaaj, apung, haaria etc, which are customarily manufactured in many households, and the excise department takes a very lenient view of them citing societal tradition as the reason.

Now, when a sea of alcoholic beverages ranging from IMFL to State excise varieties to traditional liquor are available everywhere, the gullible public is bound to get tempted, thereby engendering seeds for hooch tragedies like the one which very recently claimed close to 200 lives. The need of the hour is a stringent excise policy, highlights of which could include curbs on sale of IMFL by hiking taxes and directing liquor shops and bars to open only after 12 noon and close by 8 pm; altogether stop the practice of manufacture and sale of cheap liquor under the aegis of the excise department; limiting the consumption of traditional liquor manufactured in households by allowing them during major festivals only; making offences under the Excise Act non-bailable; time-bound trial of Excise Act cases; enhancing punishment of convicts under the Excise Act; augmenting the manpower of the excise department; and provision for severe departmental action against the staff of the excise department and police conniving with illicit liquor traders.

The government must realize that higher the per capita consumption of alcohol in the State, greater will be its medical expenditure in the long run. Our present excise policy seems to be in contradiction to our cherished welfare goals like protection of society from vices like alcoholism.

Ovilasha Borthakur,

Sivasagar.

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