Kupwara’s PDP MLA, Fayaz Ahmad Mir, has introduced a private member’s bill seeking a complete prohibition on liquor in Jammu and Kashmir. The bill is set to be tabled during the upcoming budget session of the J&K Assembly, which begins on March 3 in Jammu.
Mir submitted the three-page bill to the assembly secretariat on Monday, the final day for members to present bills before the session. This session marks the first budget presentation under the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government, which took office in October last year after six years of central rule.
Earlier, the J&K Assembly Secretariat had advised members to limit their submissions to a maximum of 10 starred and 10 unstarred questions, as well as three bills, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.
The deadline for submission was February 10.
The proposed bill aims to prohibit the advertisement, sale, purchase, consumption, and production of alcoholic beverages in the Union Territory.
In his statement of objectives and reasons, Mir emphasized the need for strict regulations, stating, “The rise in use of alcoholic drinks is an ascending curve and this is largely due to insensitivity to deal with the issues in a holistic manner… If this trend of using alcohol is not checked at this point of time, it will prove disastrous for the society as such strict law on the subject is inevitable,” reads the bill.
The bill also calls for severe penalties, including imprisonment and fines, for violators. (KNS)
