Women hold dharna against sale of liquor in Kendrapada village

KENDRAPADA: Many women of Behula village under Tikarpanga gram panchayat of Mahakalapada block sat on a dharna in front of the office of the collector at Kendrapada on Tuesday to demand a halt in sale of illicit liquor in the village and its nearby areas..

The spontaneous movement, which took place in the village, was aimed at preventing men and children from getting addicted to alcohol, which, women said, led to a large chunk of their earnings going to waste.

“Many youths are already hardcore addicts and wasting a substantial part of their earnings on liquor, resulting in the suffering and deprivation of the whole family for which villagers, including women and children sat on dharana in front of the office of the collector,” said Bijayani Mallick, an activist.

“We had earlier submitted memorandums to the district collector, district superintendent of police and the excise officials to take stern legal action against the liquor mafias who have been illegally selling liquor in the villages. But the authorities did not pay any heed to our pleas for which we have sat on a dharna, said Pravati Behera, a villager.

Women activists, including many members of self-help groups (SHG) also criticised the decision of the government to open more liquor stores in the district.

“The government’s decision to open more liquor shops will ruin many families.,” said Nalioniprava Tarei, another activist.