This year the festival of lights has lost much of its sheen especially in the state due to multiple reasons. GST has derailed many traders aspiration of making brisk business as usually has been the case. Also the administration making it mandatory for vendors to get license for selling fireworks is another blow. The crackdown on gambling activities such as ‘Jhandi Munda’ which has been a quientessential part of Diwali festivities in the state has lowered the enthusiasm of the general public to a huge extent already.

During the festival of lights the game is played with numbered dice at betting kiosks which are choc-a-bloc with people waiting to try their luck. Arunachal Pradesh is perhaps the only Indian state where gambling has been legal under the Public Gambling Act, enacted in 1867.

But all that changed with the Arunachal government prohibiting gambling in 2013.

The decision was taken as ‘jhandi munda’ is blamed for causing economic hardships and squandering of money resulting in starvation for many poor families. Betting kiosks were also leading to breach of peace.

This time around, the district administration has issued prohibitory orders and conducted raids to check gambling activities as the Diwali celebration is on our doorsteps. Nontheless, ‘Jhandi Munda’ is going on unabated in almost every colony and it is not shocking to see the odd ‘men-in-uniform’ also testing his luck  with other enthusiasts.

Just because the betting kiosks are no longer on display along the city’s main thoroughfare, it doesn’t mean that it has been stemmed out!

This editorial in no way supports gambling activities but one fails to understand what will be gained by banning this activity during the Diwali celebrations. People who want to gamble/play are still doing it and one would say the situation is now worse because the administration has no idea, as opposed to earlier years when interested parties were issued licences and were under the ​authorities ​radar.

 

 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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