ACAUT asks Excise Commissioner to shut down liquor shops in 24 hours

morungexpress | June 6, 2014

DIMAPUR, JUNE 6 (MExN): The Against Corruption And Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) Nagaland has requested Commissioner of Excise, Maongwati Aier, to “kindly shut down within 24 hours the major places selling liquor illegally in town.” These have been noted by the ACAUT to be all the wine-shops near Axis Bank, Faith Hospital junction, Khermahal Junction, Super Market area, Signal Angami area, etc., masquerading either as mineral water outlets or restaurants; all the wine-shops at Deluxe Point/Bata Charali area, Eros line area, etc., masquerading as family restaurants, and all the so-called bars and pubs, hotels, restaurants in town, including those located opposite SP office and Popular Bakery area.

“Unless the Commissioner takes action within 24 hours under Clauses 35, 36, 37, Chapter-4 of The Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1989 where the department is EMPOWERED to ENTER, SEARCH, make SEIZURE and ARREST, it would be an open admission before the Naga people that selling/serving of IMFL/beer in a prohibited state is possible simply because the connivance of the department at the highest level with the mafia elements trading in IMFL/beer,” noted the ACAUT in a press release from its media cell today. Failure to implement the above, it maintained, shall be construed as “abdicating responsibility” and the Commissioner Excise should resign.

Further, on the issuing of a show-cause notice to a sub-ordinate officer of the Department by the Excise Commissioner, the ACAUT stated that this was a case of “the pot calling the kettle black” since the “whole Excise department is awash with corruption and the Commissioner himself is responsible.” Instead of suspending a few low-level erring officers, the ACAUT urged the Government of Nagaland to “take a tough stance and initiate action against all erring officers.”

With regards to the Excise Commissioner’s statement that “ACAUT Nagaland members did not seek permission from the Excise department for counting the IMFL bottles,” the ACAUT wondered if “the Commissioner takes permission from illegal wine-shop owners and bootleggers before conducting surprise checking and raids, if at all such takes place.” It asked the Excise Department to clarify what it has done to “curb this mockery” wherein spurious IMFL/beer are sold at prominent places in town right under the nose of the department.