Odisha minister fuels speculation on prohibition of liquor in state

Odisha enacted the Orissa Prohibition Act in 1956, which was given assent by the President of India on January 19, 1957. However, the Act is yet to be notified and enforced

Updated on: Jun 26, 2024, 20:36:04 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneshwar: Fuelling speculation on a possible ban on liquor in Odisha, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister on Wednesday said the chief minister Mohan Majhi-led government is working towards making the state liquor-free.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse, Nityananda Gond, the Odisha social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities minister, said the state just cannot encourage liquor sales fearing revenue loss. Society is being polluted due to liquor addiction.

“Alcohol addiction is ruining lives. It is leading to distress. Our government will be looking at making Odisha free of liquor and also discourage the use of narcotics. Steps will be taken to bring down the consumption of drugs in the state. We will hold discussions in this regard with Excise and other departments and implement it in a phase-wise manner,” he said, adding prohibition has been implemented in several states.

Odisha enacted the Orissa Prohibition Act in 1956, which was given assent by the President of India on January 19, 1957. However, the Act is yet to be notified and enforced. The state legislature had passed the Orissa Prohibition Act, 1956, with the intention to introduce and extend the prohibition on the manufacture, sale and consumption of liquor and drugs in the State.

The Orissa high court in June 2022 had dismissed a PIL filed in 2013 seeking enforcement of the Orissa Prohibition Act, 1956, after the then Naveen Patnaik-led government in an affidavit said that it has “no proposal to implement the Orissa Prohibition Act, 1956”.

The high court has then stated that a ban on the production and sale of alcohol may not achieve the objective of weaning away the citizens from liquor. “On the contrary, the complete ban may result in proliferation of illicit liquor, increased use of prohibited drugs and other undesirable consequences”, it noted.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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