Morcha lifts liquor ban in hills

TT, Darjeeling, Jan. 31: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to lift the ban on sale of liquor in the Darjeeling hills from tomorrow, ending the fiat that was put into force from November 7. The ban on the entry of “illegal liquor” from Sikkim will, however, stay in force, as it has since August 4 last year. Morcha spokesperson Harka Bahadur Chhetri said: “The party has decided to lift the ban on the sale of liquor in the hills from tomorrow. However, the ban on the entry of illegal liquor from Sikkim will continue.” The announcement effectively means that all bars, off-shops and licensed country liquor shops across the hills will remain open. Chhetri, however, did not provide any reason for the sudden lifting of the ban. Morcha president Bimal Gurung had given a call for the ban on the sale of liquor, except on traditional drinks, saying the state exchequer had collected “Rs 40 to Rs 50 crore” during Puja and Diwali from the sale of liquor in the hills. Sources in the excise department had, however, put the figure at Rs 3 crore per month. Tourists, however, had been allowed to bring their own liquor during the ban. Even though the Morcha did not cite any reason for lifting the ban, observers believe that it is largely because of the party’s realisation that the ban was impossible to execute. It was common knowledge that many shops were selling liquor by smuggling them in. “The ban only turned out to be an unpopular move as liquor prices in the black market soared overnight,” said an observer. Restaurant owners are likely to be relieved as they had reported a drop of almost 40 per cent in their revenue earnings because of the ban. Support to stopgap set-up TT, Siliguri, Jan. 31: The Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha feels that an interim arrangement ahead of achieving Gorkhaland could to some extent fulfil the statehood aspirations. “When you are not getting your ultimate goal, some interim arrangements can at least help you fulfil your aspiration to some extent,” Dil Kumari Bhandari, the president of the BGP, an apolitical organisation, told reporters here. The statehood movement is currently being spearheaded by Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Asked about Gurung’s recent announcement that the party wanted only Gorkha dominated areas of the Dooars to be part of Gorkhaland, Bhandari said: “I don’t want to comment on the basis of newspaper reports. But I feel the Dooars should be included….”