Election fever boosts brewing of gudumba

The election fever which has gripped the villages has also boosted the brewing gudumba in villages in old Adilabad district. 

Excise officials say that gudumba brewing is picking up and that they have been conducting regular raids.

Gudumba, the locally brewed liquor is cheap and therefore preferred by the political parties distribute it to their party cadre.

On the other hand, excise officials have intensified raids on the gudmuba brewing places and houses taking the recent rise as a challenge and a prestige issue.   incidents as challenge and prestige and following the incidents of gudumba brewing on the rise in the villages.

Local political leaders encourage gudumba brewing in the villages as elections of local bodies and also general elections are fast approaching and political parties are organising rallies, dharnas and yatras and major public meetings. Serving gudumba to the villagers and their own party cadres earns them goodwill and loyalty.   

The officials have also seized ‘patika’ and jaggery in high quantities from the Kirana shops and godowns in Sirpur (T),  Kautala and Kagaznagar mandals.

These two ingredients used in the making of gudumba.  Recently, officials seized patika being transported illegally in a car in Chennur in Mancherial district. It was being taken for a businessman in Kagaznagar town.

Excise staff raided houses in Lambada thandas in Nennel mandal and arrested few persons on the charges of brewing gudumba in Mancheirial district on March16.

These incidents indicates that Kagazangar town and its surrounding mandals have become centres for selling Patika and Jaggery. 

Illegal transportation of jaggery in Kagaznagar town came to light again recently when officials attempted to seize a lorry loaded with white jiggery coming from the Maharashrtra.Local MLA Koneru Konapppa attempted to attack the excise officer Rakesh and other staff while obstructing their duty, taking the sides with the businessmen.

Excise superintendent of Kumarambheem Asifabad district K. Rajyalaxmi informed that they have registered 8 cases and arrested 12 persons and seized 33 quintals of jaggery and 15 tons of ‘patika’ and 35 liters of Gudumba and 810 liters of jaggery liquid during the raids they have conducted at various places in the Sirpur (T) Assembly Constituency.

Excise officials says that, the whole sale traders have to submit the details of the stocks of jaggery and patika once in a week to the excise officials but the traders do not follow the rules instructed by the state government to put an end to the  brewing of gudumba.