FLOODS IN THE DRY STATE!

The veriest travesty of being a ‘dry State’ is displayed in prolific extravaganza in no other place on earth than in this remote north-eastern Indian State of Nagaland. The flow of Indian Made Foreign Liquor into this part of the world is a matter of routine drill despite the statutory blanket ban since a little over two decades ago. Huge volumes of “alcoholic beverages” make their way into the State with effortless ease. At least a dozen times every twelve months you hear of seizure of huge consignments of such beverages en-route the State from the neighboring State of A***M! And we are not even talking about the un-intercepted passage of consignments that make it through, in smaller quantities ofcourse, in no less frequency nonetheless.

The issue is not about the moral outlook anymore, as it was when it initially came to head in the late 80s. The matter has become a grave social issue today. This has become, perhaps, one of the biggest challenges impinging upon the people of the State at large and several families in particular.

Coming as it does, the illicit nature of this sector has made it a huge business for black-marketing. The price of quality ‘products’, to begin with, multiplies many-fold by the time the consignment reaches the target group! Hence, the economic dent it has wheedled out of the innumerable family pockets in general cannot be conveniently ignored. In fact, this has made it imaginably unaffordable for the common people.

However, the bigger concern is different and very very serious too. The business has taken an immeasurable damage-profile in the sense that owing to the constraints of availability and the sky-rocketing cost, peoples’ frustration has reached summit levels where they have taken to any kind and quality of drinks so long as they are cheap and available. This has induced menacing trends where cheap and spurious liquor are being ‘tailor-manufactured’ solely for the people of the State entailing disastrous socio-health implications and irreparable consequences.

At this rate, the cycle is taking a hazardous trajectory threatening to spin out of control unless tackled fast and quick. The stakes are too high involving the fate of entire generations to come. There is an urgent need to seriously debate this growing issue of social concern and arrive to some kind of understanding or better evolve and quickly put in place a workable arrangement.

Rigidity is not the solution. Finding ways and means to a solution is the key. All stakeholders need to dialogue to hammer out this daunting challenge that is threatening to jeopardize the very progress and prospect of our entire society!