Staff Reporter
Dimapur, May 16
The Excise division of Dimapur on Saturday destroyed 18, 711 bottles/cans of Indian Made Foreign Liquor and 3, 000 quid of yeast worth Rs. 15, 73, 738 during a destruction at the Excise Directorate in Dimapur town.The destroyed items, which include 8319 bottles of rum, 857 bottles of whiskey, 500 bottles of breezer, 474 bottles of vodka/gin, 5222 bottles of beer, 3339 cans of beer and 3000 pieces of yeast, were seized during raids conducted by excise personnel in restaurants and town during the period from August 2012 to April 2015 involving 720 liquor cases registered. The department also collected Rs.8, 69, 600 by imposing fines from the liquor offenders and credited to the government exchequer.
Speaking at the destruction ceremony, Commissioner of Excise Maongwati Aier, IAS said that the prohibition in Nagaland has been a success story, especially in Mon, Longleng, Tuensang and Peren district. The department has earned about Rs.5 crores, which, the commissioner said, is the highest from all departments.
Aier also informed that the department during the period of 2010 to April 2015 have registered more than 7000 cases and arrested 10, 000 people. During the two decades from the time prohibition was enforced i.e.1989 till 2009, only 5000 cases were registered because the department was sleeping, he said. But the department now is awakened and it will be awakened more to make prohibition a success story, added the commissioner.
Hotels and shops selling liquor are now being turned into other shops and warehouses due to raids conducted by the enforcement agencies, claimed Aier.
He also lauded the mothers association, students’ bodies and local organizations for their support. District Prohibition Committee has been set up in all the districts with the Deputy Commissioner as the chairman, which, Aier said, will further strengthen the prohibition.
The commissioner also while highlighting the complexity faced by excise personnel, requested the government to appoint uniformed personnel. He informed that there are only 264 uniformed excise personnel controlling a population of 20 lakh people in Nagaland. Proposal has been sent to the government, however, there has been no response from the government till date, he added.
When it comes to narcotics, Pangsha in Tuensang and Longwa in Mon district of Nagaland are the main transit point of smuggling drugs from and into Myanmar, said the commissioner. Drugs are smuggled to other parts on India and even Europe and also banned substances like relipen, spasmo proxyvon etc are smuggled into Myanmar from Nagaland to produce drugs again, he said. However, said Moanwati, the narcotic wing are doing a good job and will leave no stone unturned to stop these activities.
Earlier, a brief report on destruction was given by Superintendent of Excise Kevisetuo Angami.
