Jammu, 16 May (H.S.): Speaker of the J&K Legislative Assembly, Abdul Rahim Rather, today said J&K must seriously deliberate on ways to eradicate the “menace” of alcohol, while asserting that no liquor licence was issued during his nearly 14-year tenure as Finance Minister of the erstwhile state.

Speaking to reporters in Budgam, Rather said he had consistently opposed liquor sales and had made his stand clear in the Legislative Assembly during his tenure as Finance Minister.

“We are opposed to alcohol, and I want to say it clearly today. I served as Finance Minister for nearly 14 years and had stated in the House that as long as I remained finance minister, no liquor licence would be issued in J&K,” he said.

Rather said that although nearly 300 to 400 liquor licences had already been issued before his tenure and several more were granted after he demitted office, no new licence for liquor sale was issued while he headed the Finance Department.

Describing alcohol consumption as a “curse”, the Speaker urged religious leaders to raise awareness among people about its harmful effects.

“Alcohol has been prohibited in the Quran, and its consumption is unfortunate. We must uphold what has been forbidden and create awareness among the people,” he said.

Rather said any decision on imposing a complete ban on liquor in J&K would have to be taken collectively by the Legislative Assembly.

Recalling earlier discussions on prohibition in the House during his tenure as Finance Minister, Rather said some legislators had demanded a ban on liquor sales, but the proposal failed to secure majority support.

Stressing the need for collective efforts to curb alcohol consumption, Rather said society and lawmakers would have to seriously consider measures to keep people away from the “evil”.

“We have to make collective efforts to ensure people stay away from this evil. We must seriously think about how this menace can be eradicated from J&K,” he said.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar