Oppn slams govt over plan to issue more liquor shop licences

Guwahati: Opposition parties on Thursday slammed the Assam government for its plan to grant more liquor shop licences to provide quality legal liquor and keep habitual drinkers away from hazardous and life-threatening illicit liquor.
Senior Congress leader Debabrata Saikia, who is also the leader of the opposition in the assembly, accused the state government of compromising on public health by planning to grant liquor shop licences with an aim to earn more revenue.
“The plan of the state government is vicious. The move of the government clearly indicates the abysmal state of the economy of the state, which has a current loan burden of Rs 1.16 lakh crore. Moreover, the government has failed to prevent revenue evasion. To cover these things, the government has now planned to grant liquor licences everywhere,” he said.
Saikia added that the government’s failure to ban country liquor resulted in the death of over 100 in Golaghat and Jorhat districts of upper Assam in 2019. “The government’s plan has exposed its failure to recover the sinking economy and ban illicit liquor,” he added.
TMC state president Ripun Bora said the plan represents the government’s mentality. He questioned the government on if there was no other way to increase revenue other than this. He added that the plan of the state government to grant liquor shop licences will destroy society. “Generating employment, creating business platforms and setting up industries should be the government’s duty. Instead of that, the government is going to allow more liquor shops and thereby destroy the future of the state,” he added.
Countering the opposition, excise minister Parimal Suklabaidya said, “We did not give a single licence for liquor shops from 2016 to 2021 in the state. But after conducting a survey, we felt the need for liquor shops in some areas where people consume illicit liquor, which poses a threat to life.” The minister said the survey report is still under consideration at the commissioner level and once it is finalised, liquor licences will be granted if the cabinet decides on the matter.