Nepal shuts down liquor shops in border with India after ban in Bihar

Local Nepali administrations have started shutting down liquor shops in Nepal-India border after booze lovers in Bihar started flocking to the Nepali side and hampered peace and order in the porous border.

A ban on the sales of alcohol by India’s Bihar state has resulted in flourishing liquor business in bordering Nepali towns.

Assistant Chief District Officer of Mahottari district, Shambu Prasad Yadav told Hindustan Times that his office has imposed a ban on selling and consuming of alcohol within 500 metres in the Nepali side.

After ban in Bihar, border towns like Biratnagar, Itahari, Bhedetar, Rajbiraj, Mahattari and others are witnessing massive surge of Indian alcohol lovers. “We have declared restricted area for consuming and selling alcohol as per the local administration law after we face maintaining law and order. Consuming alcohol itself creates challenges in maintaining peace and harmony in international border so that we had decided to put such ban,” said Yadav.

After ban in Bihar, hundreds of new liquor shops were opened in Nepal targeting Indian customers. Some of the shops were even owned by Indians even due to high profit value due to sudden rise of booze lovers from Bihar.

The Indian side had asked Nepal authorities to take stringent against the booze lovers.