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This is an archive article published on March 18, 2017
Haryana villages want liquor vends shut to avoid fights
The Haryana government, for the first time, approved resolutions of 185 villages to shut down liquor vends.
A liquor vend on Madhya Marg in Chandiarh. Kamleshwar Singh
THE RESIDENTS of Daya village in Hisar district were perturbed by regular fights taking place among drunken men. What alarmed the villagers further was when they found school students picking up the habit. So, following a demand by the villagers, the panchayat passed a resolution seeking closure of the liquor vend at their village. The resolution was approved by the Haryana government and from April 1 onwards, when the excise policy for 2017-18 comes into force, the village will no longer have a liquor vend. The Haryana government, for the first time, approved resolutions of 185 villages to shut down liquor vends. Drunken brawls, harassment of women and school-going children getting into the habit of drinking were some of the reasons that led to panchayats passing resolutions to close liquor vends. Last year, just five resolutions were approved. In Hisar, there are 12 villages for which approval was given.
Sarpanch of Daya village, Baljeet Singh, said, “Everyone was constantly troubled by drunkards, who would get into fights and create ruckus. There were constant complaints coming to me to resolve disputes arising out of these fights. The village panchayat then passed a resolution and it was given to the government.”
The village has a population of around 4,000. “The women are very happy with the decision. The liquor vend was en route the village school. We caught some students of Class X drinking. With so many youngsters taking to drinking, it was a cause of concern for everyone,” he said, adding that the panchayat had earlier put a ban on villagers drinking in public.
At Khanpur village in Jind district, the liquor vend is present on a piece of shamlat land on the road leading to the village adjoining the fields. The most frequent complaints came from women, who had to work in the fields. Here too, the panchayat passed a resolution seeking closure of the vend.
“Groups of drunk men are present outside the liquor vend and harass women who work in the fields. Wheat will be harvested from next month. If the liquor vend was present here, it would be very difficult for women to work. It is a threat and any untoward incident can happen,” says Subhash, the village sarpanch.
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