Three cheers to prohibition

M. Gautham Machaiah

Gujarat, the land of Mahatma Gandhi, is the only State in India where prohibition is in force, but in reality liquor flows as freely as the Sabarmati.

This is not a recent trend. Bootlegging has always been a thriving industry in Gujarat, with the present annual turnover pegged at Rs 5,000 crore. Yet, the votaries of prohibition would prefer Gujarat to remain a dry State.

Prohibition works to everybody’s convenience. The revenue from the sale of liquor which would have otherwise filled the State’s coffers is now being pocketed by politicians and policemen.

Even the average Gujarati stands to gain. With prohibition in place, the Government is not in a position to impose excise duty on liquor, which ensures that the people actually pay less for their favourite brands. They fear that lifting of prohibition will render liquor expensive.

Another argument advanced is that prohibition helps to maintain law and order, with the government coming down heavily on illicit liquor making it inaccessible to the common man.

Not many are aware that despite prohibition, liquor is also legally available in Gujarat. The State has set up permit rooms where the local people can purchase liquor on production of a doctor’s prescription! But with the rates at these permit rooms being prohibitive; the people would rather rely on the bootlegger who supplies liquor right to the door step.

However, following demands from corporates and the tourism industry, Chief Minister Narendra Modi has announced that consumption of alcohol will be permitted at international conferences and special economic zones (SEZ). But the move has met with stiff opposition form various quarters. And predictably so. Who would like to kill a goose laying golden eggs?

Hey Ram!

(Picture sourced from: www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id...)