Mangaluru: The Supreme Court’s ban on sale of liquor near national highways may have made driving safer on them, but it has made the lot of village women harder as several liquor stores have moved closer to villages, tempting their men.
Following the ban, some liquor stores have moved a few meters away, but others have shifted to villages, where they are encouraging people to drink , claim protestors, who are coming out on the streets in places like Kanarpa and Kadaba to demand their closure.
One liquor store had to close on Tuesday in Kallagudde in Kadaba in face of protests and Thursday saw a massive protest by villagers in Kanarpa, Belthangady taluk, against the opening of a liquor store in their midst.
“The liquor store near the national highway at Mundaje has been shifted to our village, Kanarpa, which is about 3 kms away. It was in a different panchayat from ours, but the owner of the liquor shop is bent on opening it in our village despite our protests. The officials are silent and the gram panchayat is divided on the issue,” said a villager and activist, Rajesh Kanarpa, adding, “Except for the man who sold the land to the liquor store, nobody in the village wants it, especially as it is being set up close to a school, anganwadi and a place of worship where people have been praying for centuries.” The activist warned that the wine store could attract people from other villages and lead to a rise in crime. “Who will be responsible for all this? Officials may give permission under the excise rules but what about the social impact of this move?" he demanded.
