Patna, April 5: Anyone drinking alcohol in Bihar risks five to 10 years in jail along with fine of up to Rs 10 lakh and liquor will not be served in hotels, bars and clubs with chief minister Nitish Kumar today ordering complete prohibition.

With today's order, Bihar will follow a prohibition regime that is the most stringent in India. Consuming liquor anywhere is illegal, as is carrying alcohol from outside the state. Army canteens will be the only exemption, and will be allowed to sell alcohol as usual. A proposal might be tabled to allow regulated dosage of liquor upon prescription from a doctor, an excise department official told The Telegraph under cover of anonymity.

Gujarat too doesn't permit manufacture, sale or consumption of alcohol but those with permits or visitors from outside the state can buy liquor from licensed shops. Nagaland and Manipur are also under prohibition.

Historically, prohibition has never been a success anywhere in the world. Bihar had tried to impose prohibition in 1977-98 under then chief minister Karpoori Thakur but it was a total failure and was withdrawn in 1980. In states like Gujarat and Nagaland, liquor sale is a thriving underground industry.

Nitish's announcement came four days after his government imposed a ban on country liquor.

"Earlier, we had decided to implement phase-wise prohibition," Nitish said after the cabinet approved the excise and prohibition department's proposal for total prohibition. "But keeping in mind the huge response from the people, especially from women and youths, the government decided to go for total prohibition with immediate effect."

After the ban on country liquor that came into place April 1, the Bihar State Beverages Corporation Limited (BSBCL) was entrusted with the task of selling foreign liquor. The corporation's shops were opened in urban areas under municipal corporations and municipal councils. One such shop in Patna had to be shut down within half an hour of opening, because of the huge rush.

Nitish said that the people, particularly women, came out to protest the opening of the corporation's shops. "Now, there is no difference between urban and rural areas as far as the sale of liquor is concerned," he added.

The chief minister said industrial units manufacturing liquor in Bihar would not be disturbed but they cannot sell their product in the state. "It depends on the proprietors/owners of such industrial units where to sell their product," Nitish said. "They don't have markets of their products in the state anymore."

Government agencies will keep a tab on transportation of the liquor to other states. Despite the massive loss of revenue from excise - Rs 4,000 crore per year according to government estimates - no party has opposed the ban as they do want to be seen as supporting alcoholism.

Nitish's former deputy and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi tried to take some of the credit for the total ban. "We have been demanding complete ban on sale of liquor from the beginning. Instead the government went for partial prohibition from April 1," Sushil said.

Nitish's Grand Alliance partner Congress described prohibition as a bold step. The other Grand Alliance partner, RJD, too was quick to praise Nitish for the bold step. "The government had promised its people, especially women, to ban liquor," said RJD national spokesperson Manoj Jha. "What we promised, we delivered in a short span of time."

The chief minister claimed adequate steps have been taken to ensure effective implementation of prohibition, including setting up control rooms.

Over 9,900 people have been arrested and 12.58 lakh litres of liquor destroyed by the authorities since April 1.

The state police headquarters has made station house officers (SHOs) solely responsible for implementing the ban. Director-general of police P.K. Thakur said SHOs would face disciplinary action in case of violation.

Nitish said senior government officials, including the chief secretary, home secretary and the DGP, were in touch with their counterparts in neighbouring states to enforce the ban. "The response of the masses in Bihar is enough to indicate that a similar demand would be made by the people of those states in the near future," the chief minister added.

On March 31, the Bihar Assembly had unanimously passed the Bihar Excise (Amendment) Bill 2016 with strict penal provisions for manufacturers and distributors of illicit liquor, including the death sentence in the event of casualties caused by drinking the concoction.

Palm balm for toddy

The Bihar government will facilitate processing, bottling and sale of "Neera" (drink made from palm tree sap collected before sunrise) to lend support to those who depended on the now-banned toddy business.

Government agencies will provide financial assistance to self-help groups belonging to the community that largely depended on the toddy business so that they can switch over to the new trade which is more lucrative, Nitish said.