Hyderabad: Though there is a rule which specifies that the liquor shops should not be set up in the vicinity of educational institutions, residential areas and hospitals, most of the liquor shops in the twin cities are found violating the excise condition.
The new Telangana government came up with a new excise policy to encourage setting up of liquor shops to get the revenue flowing, but the government hasn’t yet found time to demolish the outlets in the prohibited areas.
“If a reality check is done, you will find that most of the liquor shops are right in the middle of residential colonies. Some liquor shops have come up in the same complex where an educational institute is already functioning,” said V. Sandhya of Progressive Organisation of Women.
“It is unfortunate that the government, which talks of protecting the rights of people with a special focus on safety of women, failed to check these ground realities before rolling out the new excise policies. Government should not see the liquor business as a source to fill the coffers,” she added. A resident of New Bowenpally, on condition of anonymity, complained that inebriated men were causing problems for women in the neighbourhood. “They harass the women, deliberately misbehave with them and snatch vegetables from the baskets carried by women vendors,” he said.
There are liquor shops near Siddhartha High School and S. International High School at Chintal, causing problems for the students and teachers. Drinking binges even happen near temples, as in the case of the Lower Tank Bund road.
