CADA demands white paper on liquor legalisation in Manipur

Imphal: Coalition Against Drugs and Alcohol (CADA) will not meet the government or any minister until a white paper on legalisation of liquor is produced.

This was said by CADA secretary general Geetchandra Mangang while talking to reporters on Thursday evening at its Pureiromba Khongnang Makhong office.

CADA do not have any knowledge that representatives of CADA and Nupi Samaj will be going to meet on Friday to discuss the matter on legalisation of liquor. In an occasion, minister L. Susindro Meitei said he is going to meet the representatives of CADA and Nupi Samaj. Regarding the statement no representatives of CADA have knowledge that they are going to meet the minister, Geetchandra said.

He said CADA also contacted Nupi Samaj members and they also told that there is no knowledge regarding the meeting to be held on Friday with minister, L Susindro.

It is useless to meet with the government or any minister regarding the matter until a white paper is produced from the government on legalisation of liquor, he added.

Geetchandra said during a function held at City Convention,  chief minister N. Biren Singh had expressed that the stand of government on state Cabinet decision is firm and civil organisations, local clubs were welcome to talk regarding the issue. Besides, minister Susindro also expressed earlier that as CADA and Nupi Samaj failed to response to meet with the government, the government will initiate necessary step. The statements are an insult to CADA and to the movement that has been continuing since decades, he added.

While CADA, Nupi Samaj and other bodies are continuing various forms of agitation against the state Cabinet decision on lifting of prohibition on alcohol, some people at Pheyeng started organising ‘mela’ where Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and distilled Indigenous Country (DIC) Liquor are sold openly, Geetchandra said.

Some people have started selling liquors boldly before the Cabinet decision is implemented. If the government cannot control the present situation then how the government be able to control after the state Cabinet decision is implemented.