Nagaland: EDAVCCF backs demand for lifting NLTP Act in Dimapur

East Dimapur Area Village Council Chairman’s Forum (EDAVCCF) has extended support to the demand mad by Dimapur-based civil society organisations (CSOs) led by Naga Council Dimapur (NCD) for lifting the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989, in Dimapur district.
In a press release, EDAVCCF convener Aheto Yeputhomi described that continued enforcement of the Act as a “cruel paradox” that has damaged moral, social, and ethical values.
The forum maintained the Act, enacted in the name of morality, has instead made Dimapur the epicentre of illegal liquor circulation in Nagaland.
EDAVCCF asserted that liquor was openly available in localities, colonies, and roadside outlets, exposing people of all ages including school and college students to unregulated networks.
Further, the forum maintained that the Act has not stopped drinking, but it has instead pushed drinkers into “unsafe, secretive, and morally corrosive environments.”
EDAVCCF contended that routine public violation of the law normalised illegality, eroded respect for authority, and sent a dangerous message to society.
The forum also stated that unchecked illicit liquor has fuelled substance abuse, domestic violence, road accidents, gang activities, and circulation of adulterated/spurious liquor, causing health emergencies and preventable deaths.
East Dimapur Area Village Council Chairman’s Forum accused the prohibition of empowering illegal syndicates and anti-social elements while fostering moral hypocrisy—public condemnation alongside private indulgence.
Pointing out that lifting the Act did not mean promoting alcohol consumption, EDAVCCF said it was a necessary step toward moral accountability through regulation, transparency, and education.
The forum underscored that a regulated policy in Dimapur would restrict underage access, enforce strict penalties, dismantle illegal networks, and restore the rule of law.
Therefore, East Dimapur Area Village Council Chairman’s Forum has appealed to the state government to initiate steps to lift the NLTP Act and introduce a strictly regulated liquor policy in Dimapur district.