Rs 1 crore worth liquor that Gujarat couldn’t drink

Updated: May 23, 2018 06:10 PM IST

3 min read

The Gujarat Police destroyed liquor worth Rs 1 crore in Ahmedabad’s Ramol on Wednesday morning as the sale and consumption of liquor is banned in the state. Gujarat, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, has a regulatory law in force that prohibits the manufacture, purchase, sale, and transportation of liquor in the dry state.

Huge road rollers and bulldozers were seen moving over the seized liquor bottles. (Express Photo by Javed Raja)

Gujarat, after its formation in 1960 out of Bombay State, continued the ban and still enforces it to this day. So basically, the manufacture, sale, consumption, and storage of alcohol is illegal in the state. But that hasn’t stopped a massive industry of illicit liquor widely prevalent in the state.

Even though liquor was banned for long periods during the pre-Independence days, most of the states lifted bans soon after India achieved freedom. (Express Photo by Javed Raja)

Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram, and Manipur are all states that have experimented with a partial or complete ban on liquor. But the change in governments, as well as a negative feedback from the public, have forced political parties to reverse the decision. Widespread smuggling and sale of illicit liquor have also been the reasons for such bans to collapse.

Lakshadweep is one union territory where a complete ban on liquor is in place. (Express Photo by Javed Raja)

Bihar became the fourth state in 2016 to impose total prohibition of alcohol. The Nitish Kumar government had first banned the manufacture, trade, sale, and consumption of country-made liquor since April 1, 2016, but later imposed a blanket ban on all types of liquor, including foreign liquor, in Bihar.

Another state that has enforced a complete ban is Nagaland where prohibition has been in effect since 1989. (Express Photo by Javed Raja)

In 2017, Goa also announced a ban on drinking in selected public places, including the beaches, to curb nuisance created by the people. The BJP-led Goa government had said that strict action would be taken against the people found drinking on the state beaches, and if need be, they could even be arrested.