One knock, a peg is back in Haryana

Haryana Prohibition Minister Ganeshi Lal told newspersons in Chandigarh that the Cabinet had decided to reverse prohibition policy until a consensus was reached at the national level to enforce prohibition uniformly all over the country.

The Bansi Government had introduced total prohibition on July one, 1996, soon after assuming office.

Ganeshi Lal said prohibition was introduced in the State on the demand of the people, specially women and Dalits, and now the Government was scrapping it — again on their demand. The will of the people was supreme, he said.

In Andhra, the new excise policy which comes into effect from April one hasdecided to do away with abolition of weekly dry days, extension of liquor shop business hours from 9 pm to 10.30 pm, and increase in excise duty on beer from the current rate of Rs 3 per bulk litre to Rs 5.

The policy was unveiled in the Assembly by Prohibition Minister Nettem Raghuram.

He said the new policy was mainly intended to streamline prohibition, which was partially lifted in April, 1997.

While there would not be any change in the ban on arrack, extra-neutral alcohol (ENA) would continue to be sold in the State. The Minister said the Government was considering a proposal to renew the licences for a period of two years — from 1999-2000.

Asserting that public drinking was prohibited, the Minister said the powers of the Police Department would now be confined to control and eradication, while the Excise Department would be given full powers to inspect, monitor and check retail liquor outlets.