Women demand liquor ban in adopted villages

Ministers, MLAs and top district officials who adopted more than 410 out of total 866 gram panchayats under Grama Jyoti programme were seems to be caught in the cross fire. They can neither support the ban on liquor in any form against the government interest nor support the liquor consumption in their villages in the Adilabad district of Telangana.

On the other hand, local liquor businessman and liquor mafia have started campaign against toddy and Gudumba by taking the advantage of the situation as far as toddy is concerned and forcing the villagers with the help of village development committees to boycott toddy only to increase the liquor sales.

Ministers and MLAs first adopted one grampanchayat of their choice in their respective Assembly constituency and later the number increased to three.

Now the women of the grampanchayats have taken a decision to ban liquor in any form and its sale in their villages to avoid nuisance by the drinkers and also prevent the families from ruin.

Interestingly, in some places, local liquor businessmen who recently got licenses for liquor shops by paying increased license fee and application fee are influencing the village development committees to ensure that women boycott only toddy and gudumba.

Village development committees are boycotting toddy and guduma in the villages taking the advantage of prevailing situation that nearly 20 habitual toddy and gudumba drinkers died of alcohol withdrawal symptoms evident in the Nirmal division.

Mudhole MLA G. Vittal Reddy is facing this peculiar situation in his Assembly constituency where women took an oath boycotting liquor and its sales in the villages. Subsequently many habitual drinkers fell sick and many deaths reported with the alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Excise department officials are also facing embarrassing the situation with the  villagers especially women boycotting the liquor and demanding for the cancellation of licenses to the liquor shops.

An officer who adopted a village under Grama Jyoti in Adilabad mandal said now he cannot support the women who wanted liquor ban in the village which goes against the interest of the state government.

Toddy withdrawal symptoms aggravate

Adilabad district of Telangana is facing a big problem due to several incidents of habitual drinkers of toddy and liquor falling sick and nearly 20 persons including women died till now due to alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Even family members of the patients are experiencing this kind of situation for the first time.

Four habitual drinkers died in a single day in Nirmal town on Saturday and it shows the severity of the situation. Some of the habitual drinkers even committed suicide with the alcohol withdrawal symptoms.          

The incidents of habitual drinkers falling sick and behaving differently first reported in Kamole village in Bhainsa where villagers boycotted liquor in any form and its sales and later the incidents reported from Basar village where five persons died and nearly 400 habitual drinkers including women hospitalized.

Subsequently, 13 habitual drinkers died and large number of patients admitted to government and private hospital in Nirmal town and one habitual drinker died in Khanapur in the recent past.

This situation arose with the surprise raids on gudumba and adulterated toddy manufacturing centres and closing them by officials of excise department under the instruction from the state government just after reviewing its decision to introduce cheap liquor in the state.

The state government or district administration drew criticism from the people for not taking up any exercise to tackle the situation arise before going to crackdown adulterated toddy and gudumba. The officials concerned have failed in opening de-addiction centres to deal with the situation.            

Nirmal area hospital has become another Erragadda hospital where many patients are behaving differently and are admitted and tied to beds. According to medical experts, habitual drinkers are behaving differently as their body was not getting sufficient dose of drug though medicines to that of adulterated toddy.

Even, small dose of medicines Diazepam and Clonazepam tables proved to be futile being given to the habitual drinkers undergoing treatment at many government and private hospitals in the district. These tablets will be given to the patients suffering from anxiety, disorders alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

It is said that the toddy manufactures add certain drugs to toddy to ensure kick to the drinkers habituated to the adulated toddy over the years.

More number of adulterated toddy related deaths reported in slums where nearly 10,000 habitual drinkers and majority of them daily wage laborers living in the Nirmal town alone and their number was pegged at 50,000 in the Nirmal division.

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