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Bansi Lal reintroduces licence to drink in Haryana

Reversing an earlier policy decision, the Haryana government decided to scrap the 20-month-old prohibition policy in the state from April 1.

At a press conference where Home Minister Mani Ram Godara was present, Prohibition Minister Ganeshi Lal said the decision was taken by a cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Bansi Lal.

The Bansi Lal government had introduced total prohibition on July 1, 1996, soon after assuming office.

Ganeshi Lal said prohibition was introduced in the state on the demand of the people, specially the women and dalits. Now the government was scrapping it, again on their demand.

"The will of the people is supreme," he said.

The minister said the government would strive for a consensus on prohibition at the national level. In the meantime, every possible effort would be made to ensure that the gains from policy were not reversed. The government enforcement machinery would ensure that liquor consumption took place only within the confines of law. Strict action would be taken against violators.

He said the introduction of prohibition had entailed an annual revenue loss of about Rs 6 billion to the state exchequer.

Earlier in the day, a joint meeting of the ruling Haryana Vikas Party-Bharatiya Janata Party combine reviewed the prohibition policy at length in the light of the recent Lok Sabha election, in which it lost five of the seven seats it possessed.

UNI

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