Bihar: Cops hold ‘chaupal’ in Sheohar against liquor

PATNA: In a bid to create awareness among people about prohibition law, the Sheohar police held a village ‘chaupal’ under the Shyampur Bhatahan police station area on Friday. The participants, majority of them being women from economically backward sections of the society, hailed the initiative and assured cooperation to make the programme a success.
Sheohar SP Sanjay Bharti told this newspaper over phone on Saturday that the people’s response was enthusiastic.“The campaign will be intensified in the district after the panchayat polls. We will ensure to attend at least one such programme every week,” he said.
Initially, the campaign will be launched in the villages identified as the hubs of liquor brewing and consumption. “Our idea is to discourage consumption. The supply will automatically reduce if there is no consumption (read demand),” he said.
“The family has to suffer a lot after the arrest of a member for violating the prohibition law,” the police team tells the people.
The initiative assumed significance in the wake of chief minister Nitish Kumar’s directive on November 16 to intensify awareness among people about prohibition following the recent hooch deaths.
“We have decided to rope in newly elected panchayat representatives to make the campaign a grand success,” the SP said.
Cong supports review of prohibition in state: Congress state chief Madan Mohan Jha said his party would considerably think over if CM Nitish Kumar offered to abolish prohibition in the state. “We were part of the government when prohibition was introduced in the state,” he admitted. “Humlog punah vichar karenge agar sarkar prohibition kanoon wapas lena chahti hai (we will consider if the state government wants to withdraw prohibition law),” he added. He, however, hastened to add that the Congress wanted the prohibition law to be implemented in letter and spirit. Earlier, Congress legislature party leader Ajit Sharma had said if the state government was finding it tough to implement the prohibition law, it should allow sale of liquor through licensed shops and at higher rates. However, Congress MLA Shakil Ahmad Khan said he didn’t agree with Sharma on the issue.