Bihar Liquor Ban - Is Prohibition the solution to kick the bottle?
As you all know in the month of April a new law was enforced by the Government of India for the prohibition of liquor in Bihar. Liquor ban in states of India is not new earlier many states have imposed ban on liquor but mixed results have come and then some states had withdrawn the ban. By banning liquor the state government's revenue is lost and chances of smuggling of liquor from nearby states increases and the people who cannot give up the habit of consuming liquor will look for alternatives to drink it and they would possibly travel to other states for it. Then the ordinary people of the state are deprived of the stuff because of the ban but the rich and powerful people are still enjoying in these states and they have various resources from where they can procure and stock their quota. There is no check on powerful people and thus they enjoy this immunity. Though the consumption of liquor in small amounts is good as it acts as a medicine but in excess it creates harmful damages to our liver. Recently the commissioner informed that cases of death in road accidents have also come down during this period after declaration of the state as total dry. He also enquired about check posts and barriers put in the districts for catching liquor bottles and functioning of de-addiction camps in the districts. Liquor is an addictive thing which a person gets addicted when is drunk in excessive amounts. Banning of liquor is not the solution because the rich can still afford it but the poor can't. So it should be taken in mind whenever any new law is passed that it benefits most the poor because ultimately after every law is constituted it's the poor who is suffering from each and every difficulty and this should also be kept in mind that "development for one, cannot be development for other." For example making a mall in Delhi may be considered a good work for people in Delhi and it would be considered as development but as far as a poor in rural area is considered it's not a development for him/her and their family. Every little things contribute to the society so our government should make laws keeping in mind for the welfare of poor and as far as the Liquor Ban in Bihar is concerned the rate of crimes have decreased by 27%. Liquor may be considered a bad thing but the truth is the people who die because of liver failure and all is just because of their drinking excess of liquor. Alcohol acts as a medicine and doctors recommend it but people are drinking it at a large amount that causes those problems and creates an imbalance in their body. The solution for Bihar is that prohibition is not the solution but minimizing the sale of liquor should be applied. In certain ways the government should abolish this law and make a new law that is in favour for both the rich and the poor community. There should be awareness camps in the public about the problems that occur due to alcohol and its consumption. The people should know about the consequences of drinking alcohol that will eventually lead to less consumption and ultimately they wouldn't drink it anymore and they'll considered is as just money waste and they'll use that money in other uses which are necessary than drinking. Now the question arises how all this would happen? There are people drinking from almost a year to years now, it's not easy for them to leave so the govt. should make laws for them so that they eventually kill this habit. In these ways people will try and get the best out of them and they'll minimize their consumption and eventually the ban from Bihar would be taken off.
- Rudresh Bodwal
