Liquor consumption in Kashmir at an all-time high

It's a myth that Kashmir does not touch liquor. Over 10 lakh liquor bottles were consumed in the Valley in the last two years alone. This in a state that dashed liquor baron Vijay Mallya's plan to restart cultivation of hop — used in the manufacture of beer — in the state. Chief minister Omar Abdullah was categorical about not doing anything against the religious sentiments of the people.
But his minister of finance and law Abdul Rahim Rather furnished some startling figures in the assembly in written reply to a question by BJP MLA Jugal Kishore. More than 6.25 lakh bottles were consumed in 2007-2008 and 3.85 lakh bottles in 2006-2007 in the Kashmir valley alone. Besides, liquor is a major source of revenue in the state. Finance minister said the government earned Rs211.10 crore in 2006-07, Rs242.64 crore in 2007-08 and Rs203.62 crore in 2005-06.
What is more striking is that liquor consumption has increased despite the ban imposed by militants in 1989 and the social stigma attached with it in Kashmir's predominately religious society.
Allah Tigers had issued a blanket ban on sale and consumption of liquor in 1989 when militancy erupted in Kashmir. The outfit ransacked and looted liquor shops, forcing them to shut down. Only a few shops reopened later, and are operating under heavy security.
Officially, there are six liquor vends in Kashmir, four in Srinagar and two in Anantnag. Jammu district has 135 liquor shops, the highest in the state.
The government admitted that liquor consumption was rising in the state and noted it had adopted a restrictive approach in issuing liquor licenses. "The relevant rules prohibit liquor advertisements and display of liquor in glasses or bottles in any shop. The licensed shops selling liquor need to cover liquor bottles with black tinted glass", said the finance minister.
The moral police received the news with shock and disbelief. "We are planning a two-pronged strategy to counter the liquor consumption in Kashmir. We will write to the government, asking for legislation to ban liquor sale. Secondly, we will camp outside liquor vends to counsel the people who buy booze," said Parvez Maqbool Shah, general secretary of the Forum Against Social Evils (FASE).