Kolkata:
Citing the example of Bihar which banned liquor in April, the All India Forward
Bloc (AIFB) and the Congress on Tuesday sought to make West Bengal also a
liquor-free state.
Raising
the matter in the assembly, AIFB legislator Ali Imran Ramz said making Bengal a
dry state will bring down crime though he conceded that the state revenue will
take a beating in the process.
It
will also save the state’s youth and contribute towards West Bengal's progress,
the legislator said.
“Liquor
ban in Bihar has led to development in industry, education and infrastructure
sectors. The Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) should declare the state
liquor-free,” Ramz later told the media.
As
per EXIN Times, his suggestion was supported by the Congress, including Leader
of Opposition Abdul Mannan. “The Bihar Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar) has shown
the path. He made Bihar liquor-free despite loss to the state exchequer as he
wanted to give a healthy ambience to his people,” said Mannan.
Addressing
the media, former state Congress President Manas Bhunia too supported the idea. “I don’t know
whether West Bengal Finance Minister (Amit Mitra) has the power to do so but if
Bengal can emulate Bihar in this respect, the state can be uplifted from the
degradation it has suffered,” said
Bhunia.
Bihar was on April 5 this year declared a
dry state with the Nitish Kumar government imposing a total ban on the sale and
consumption of alcohol including India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) with
immediate effect.
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