Manipur Shiv Sena president M Tombi on Monday raised concern that organisations such as Coalition Against Drugs and Alcohol (CADA) and other local bodies are unable to stop the selling of alcohol in the heart of Imphal city and appealed to impose a strict ban on it.
Addressing the media at its state head office located at Babupara, he said that CADA and other local bodies had been conducting drives against alcohol but were unable to ban the selling of illegal liquor even near Raj Bhavan. He drew Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s attention on the matter, mentioning that the present scenario should be monitored.
He also pointed out that the state government has been facing a loss of over Rs 300 crore annually due to the restrictions imposed on alcohol by Coalition Against Drugs and Alcohol (CADA) and some other bodies.
He said the state police have been seizing drugs frequently under the ‘War on Drugs’ campaign and frequent drug users would be opting for alcohol as a substitute. To provide alcohol with standard quality, the state government needs to provide alcohol licence to each alcohol manufacturing unit of Manipur, he said.
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He urged CADA and other local bodies to take necessary action to ban the selling of alcohol in the heart of the Imphal city, including near the Raj Bhavan.
Tombi further said that state Shiv Sena will be giving priority to women candidates in the upcoming local body election. The party is ready to sponsor any intending candidate for the upcoming local body election, he added.
Its vice president (administration), M Tikendra Singh said that most of the locally manufactured bakery products and others in the state are selling without printing proper details. Some of the bakery products and other edible items having short lifespans are being sold by changing the date of manufacture. Selling of expired food should be immediately stopped, he said.
The grocery shops should also have a notice board that displays the price list, he said. If the authority concerned fails to take necessary action regarding the issue before the upcoming local body election, State Shiv Sena will take up necessary drives, he added.
Meanwhile, as many as seven persons from different political parties joined the state Shiv Sena.
