AKMWC urges regulated system to replace prohibition

Association of Kohima Municipal Wards Council (AKMWC) has urged the state government to amend the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989, citing its persistent failure to curb rampant availability of toxic and spurious liquor in Kohima despite decades of enforcement.
In a press release, AKMWC president Thejao Sekhose, general secretary Hukato Chishi H, and press secretary Neizokhotuo Belho described Kohima as “inundated” by illicit liquor available 24×7 throughout the year through illegal outlets, mineral water shops, juice stalls, pan shops and even residential quarters via “runner boys.”
AKMWC said periodic raids, penalties, public shaming, stock destruction and expulsions by ward and colony councils failed to create lasting deterrence, while the government repeatedly cited manpower shortages and enforcement limitations.
A survey conducted after in-depth discussions during the general body meeting in September 2024 reportedly found over 500 illegal liquor outlets operating across the 19 wards of Kohima municipality.
The association stated that consequences included premature deaths, chronic family illnesses, youth pushed toward cheaper substance abuse such as khap and opium, corruption of government agencies and empowerment of criminal elements.
At its June 9, 2025 general body meeting, AKMWC said the house resolved to advocate scrapping the NLTP Act in its current form and replacing it with a practical, regulated licensing system to achieve the Act’s core objectives without perpetuating failures.
Proposed measures included replacing blanket criminalisation with a tightly regulated licensing system; capping outlets district-wise; granting wards and villages statutory veto power over retail establishments; prohibiting sales near educational and religious institutions; enforcing strict age verification and quantity limits; restricting sale hours and days; imposing high excise duties earmarked for addiction treatment, rehabilitation and public health campaigns; establishing digital supply-chain tracking; and imposing severe penalties for illicit distillation, adulteration and smuggling.
AKMWC criticised recent statements by certain religious groups dismissing public concerns as a “whirlwind of public opinion,” calling such attitudes unfortunate and unacceptable in a secular democracy.
Rejecting attempts to frame the debate in religious terms, the association said “the era of threats with fire, brimstone, and damnation” was gone, and that attempts to block amendment of the NLTP Act, 1989 served neither God nor man. It urged society to confront reality, support practical reform and refrain from obstructing solutions.