Proposal to relax liquor norm fuels political, social unrest in Lakshadweep
Picture for representational purpose only.
According to report by the Times of India, the newly proposed bill seeks to authorise private enterprises on the islands to both produce and sell alcoholic beverages.
Kochi: A draft of excise bill proposing manufacture and sales of liquor in Lakshadweep has sparked political protest here. Congress, NCP and other political parties have joined hands to oppose claiming that the proposed bill goes against the culture of the ‘island’s culture’.
At present, limited restriction on alcohol is in place within the Union territory, permitting its sale exclusively to non-residents within the confines of government resorts and hotels.
What the bill proposes
According to report by the Times of India, the newly proposed bill seeks to authorise private enterprises on the islands to both produce and sell alcoholic beverages. Once this bill is approved, it will allow the visitors and the locals to purchase alcohol from privately-licensed stores in the islands. Opposition parties are currently pushing back against this proposal.
On August 3, the island administration released a public notice, extending an invitation for feedback and suggestions from the public regarding the draft Lakshadweep Excise Regulation Bill, 2022. This bill outlines provisions for the designation of an excise commissioner. NCP MP PP Mohammed Faizal pointed out that shortly after becoming the administrator of Lakshadweep in December 2020, Praful Khoda Patel implemented several alterations. These changes included permitting the sale of alcohol at government-owned resorts and hotels located on the inhabited islands.
Given that 97% of the population is Muslim who consider consumption of alcohol contrary to their religious practices, the action has sparked a wave of protest among the locals too.
History of if liquor ban in Lakshadweep
Sale of alcohol was banned in the islands in 1979 under the Liquor Prohibition Regulations based on demand from the community to preserve their culture.
Though the administration had tried to revoke the ban in 2021, the move was abandoned following public protest. However, liquor is served at the resorts in Bangaram, an uninhabited island, to meet the demand of international tourists.