The Nagaland Excise Department has been enforcing the Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act 1989, despite acute shortage of manpower, said the state Commissioner of Excise.
The Department has only 264 armed personnel, with 231 of them in the constable rank, said Commissioner of Excise, Maongwati Aier, while briefing the newly inducted Parliamentary Secretary of Excise, B S Nganglang during his visit to the department yesterday in Dimapur.
Later on Aier said the department has offices in all eleven districts, six sub-divisional offices and four check posts, but was unable to provide minimum required strength in each of the offices.
The Commissioner requested the Parliamentary Secretary to facilitate creation of 50 more posts of Excise constables, three posts of Superintendent of Excise and upgrading of nine Inspectors to Deputy Superintendent of Excise, to boost the present strength.
Parliamentary Secretary Nganglang said over the years the Excise department had been sidelined by subsequent governments and admitted that there were certain anomalies during the initial stage of implementation of the Act.
He said public opinion on the Act was divided and so it was the duty of the department to give a clear and well assisted opinion and ensure that all stakeholders were properly briefed about the situation.
