The Association of Kohima Municipal Wards Council has sought amendments to the NLTP Act, 1989, citing rampant illegal liquor trade and enforcement failure.
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DIMAPUR — Calling total prohibition ‘a fiction, in practice,’ the Association of Kohima Municipal Wards Council (AKMWC) has demanded that the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989 be amended for Kohima municipality, citing rampant availability of spurious liquor, rising substance abuse, and the failure of enforcement mechanisms.
In a press release issued on Monday, the association stated that Kohima has been inundated with illegal and adulterated liquor available round the clock, despite repeated raids, penalties, public shaming, destruction of illicit stock and even expulsion of offenders from localities by ward and colony councils.
Pointing out that the Act, though well intentioned, failed to account for predictable human behaviour, the AKMWC said no jurisdiction has successfully enforced absolute prohibition without leakages.
It warned that total prohibition has instead fuelled smuggling, illicit distillation and substitution with narcotics such as khap and opium.
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The association informed that its general body meeting held in September 2024 undertook an in-depth review of the NLTP Act and its social impact.
A subsequent survey across Kohima’s 19 wards reportedly found more than 500 illegal liquor outlets operating under the guise of mineral water shops, juice stalls, pan shops and even residential quarters, with “runner boys” supplying liquor on phone calls at any hour.
Describing the consequences as devastating, the association stated that rampant illicit liquor trade has led to early deaths, chronic illness in families, increased substance abuse among youth, corruption within agencies and the strengthening of criminal networks.
Based on these findings, the AKMWC said that its general body meeting held on June 9, 2025 resolved to advocate scrapping the NLTP Act in its present form and replacing it with a practical regulatory framework.
The association proposed a tightly regulated licensing system with a district-wise cap on outlets, statutory veto powers for wards and villages, prohibition of sales near educational and religious institutions, strict age verification, quantity limits per buyer, restricted sale hours and days, and high excise duties earmarked for addiction treatment, rehabilitation and public health awareness.
It also called for a digital supply-tracking mechanism to prevent diversion and severe penalties for illicit distillation, adulteration and smuggling.
Criticising recent attempts by certain religious groups to dismiss public concern and civil society engagement, the AKMWC stated that opposition to amending the NLTP Act neither served public interest nor addressed the ground reality.
The association urged all sections of society to assist the government in undertaking practical reforms for the greater good, or at least refrain from obstructing solutions, asserting that meaningful change was long overdue.