Oppn raises a stink over new Excise policy

CPI, YSRCP, TDP and women's organisations plan protests from July 1 Allowing wine shops to open permit rooms was nothing but to encourage the sale of liquor Hyderabad: Strongly opposing the new Excise Policy 2013-14, opposition parties- CPI, YSRCP, TDP and women's organisations- on Tuesday announced the launch of series of agitations against the government demanding it to take over retail liquor trade and shutdown all belt shops. CPI State secretary K Narayana said that his party would organise dharnas across the State on July 1, protesting against liquor shops being allowed to open permit rooms in the new policy. Allowing wine shops to open permit rooms was nothing but to encourage the sale of liquor. He said that his party would intensify the agitation against liquor policy in a phased manner and threatened to attack belt shops, if the government did not close them at the earliest. Alleging that the government had put the GOs under wraps until it was exposed by the media and announced the liquor policy in a hurry, YSRCP leader Praveen Kumar Reddy pointed out that the new policy did not mention the closure of belt shops (unauthorised liquor outlets) as announced by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy last month. Without heeding to social concerns, the government concentrated on increasing revenues through permit rooms, he remarked. Accusing the government of being responsible for increasing crime and atrocities against women in the State, TDP senior leader E Peddi Reddy said that the crime rate would come down if liquor trade was controlled. His party would stage dharnas and protest rallies against the new liquor policy in the coming days. All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) state unit president Jyothi and Swaroopa Rani demanded the government to scrap the new policy and bring stringent norms to curb the increasing liquor consumption in the State. The Association would launch state wide agitations involving likeminded organisations against the policy.