Protests mar liquor tenders

Vijayawada: Activists led by National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) and Progressive Organisation for Women (POW) staged a massive dharna at the Sub-Collector’s office in the city on Monday, resenting the new excise policy of the government. More than 100 women from various parts of the city participated in the dharna.

Speaking at the dharna camp, NFIW city secretary P Durgamba flayed Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for failing to fulfil his election promise of closing down belt shops in the State during the one year TDP regime. She said that large number of families have been affected and women are facing lot of hardships as more than half of the family income was being spent on liquor by the men folk.

The TDP government’s decision to permit the sale of liquor in malls and supermarkets, setting up of micro pubs and supply of liquor in tetra packs as part of the new excise policy would transform AP into ‘Madhyandhra Pradesh’ rather than ‘Swarnandhra’ Pradesh, she criticised.

The AIDWA city secretary K Sridevi flayed Chief Minister Naidu for completely failing to initiate measures in controlling the liquor flow in the State. Instead of establishing ration shops and hospitals on the basis of population, the government was setting up liquor shops on the population basis, ruining the lives of poor. She demanded the TDP government to initiate concrete measures to discourage the consumption of liquor in the larger interests of poor families.

Tension prevailed for some time at the Sub-Collector’s office, when women activists tried to block the busy Mahatma Gandhi Road. But police intervened and foiled their attempt. This led to a tussle between the police and women association leaders, prompting the former to take NFIW city president O Bharathi, POW State committee member R Ganga Bhavani and other leaders into custody.