Anger is brewing in Ladakh over the new excise policy which was recently approved by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on which the UT administration had said that it “primarily aims to curb the growing dependence on narcotics and drugs”.
Ladakh L-G Saxena recently said the new excise policy also marks a significant reform in the excise regime of the Union Territory, introducing a “liberalised, transparent and technology-enabled regulatory framework aimed at balancing public convenience, tourism promotion, revenue optimisation and effective and efficient regulation of the liquor trade.”
The administration also said the excise policy primarily aims to “curb the growing dependence on narcotics and drugs and provide people with a wider choice of low alcoholic content liquor in the Ladakh region.”
The move, however, has triggered concern and has invited criticism among several leaders and groups.
The All-Ladakh Gonpa Association, in a statement, said in a meeting recently held under the L-G’s chair on the subject of increasing abuse of narcotic substances and psychotropic drugs that all “participations from civil society expressed their resentment on expansion of the liquor range and opening of new vends in Ladakh.”
“We are in favour of declaring Ladakh a dry state such as Gujarat and Bihar. The logic of the administration to overcome the growing menace of drug abuse with liquor is beyond our understanding,” the group said.
The women wing of the influential Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) too has opposed the proposed policy, describing it as a move that could have far-reaching social consequences for the region.
Several political leaders too have spoken against the policy. Sajjad Kargili, a political leader from Kargil, said it is difficult to understand the logic of opening liquor shops in the name of combating drug abuse.
“Alcohol is itself an intoxicant and, in many cases, serves as a gateway to substance dependence rather than a solution to it. Addressing one addiction by promoting another is neither sound public policy nor a credible strategy for safeguarding society,” he said.
He said Ladakh, and particularly Kargil, “has long been guided by social values and principles that discourage the use of intoxicants.” “Alcohol has never been a part of our cultural ethos, nor is its consumption accepted by the overwhelming majority of our people. Any attempt to normalise or institutionalise alcohol under the pretext of revenue generation or tourism promotion runs contrary to the sentiments, traditions and aspirations of the local population,” he said.
