As per rules under the newly-legislated Mizoram Liquor Prohibition and Control (MLPC) Act 2014, the 17-year-old ban on consumption of liquor in the state was lifted on Thursday.
According to PTI reports, the Mizoram Excise and Narcotics Minister R Lalzirliana said the MLPC Act would come into force from Thursday.
The MLPC Act has replaced the inflexible Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act of 1995 under which drinking in the state was banned and any individual violating the Act would be severely punished.
The new legislation has legalised consumption of liquor for the first time in 17 years, with drunken driving, and a brawl in public places as a result of being under the influence, being considered as grave offences, which would result in imprisonment for several months.
As per the MLPC Act, wine shops will be allowed to sell liquor from March as preparation for the implementation of the new law is still ongoing.
According to Lalzirliana, retail wine shops would be run by public sector undertakings like Mizoram Food and Allied Industries Ltd (MIFCO).
