The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : State urged to check liquor outlets

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 28, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

State urged to check liquor outlets

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, FEB. 27. A daylong convention of the Anti-Liquor Forum has called upon the Government not to treat liquor sale as a means of revenue generation and initiate steps to curtail the number of liquor outlets in the State.

The convention organised here on Sunday appealed to the Government to withdraw its move to file a review petition against the High Court verdict on the new excise policy. It also felt the need for carrying a massive publicity campaign against liquor consumption.

Plea for `dry day'

They demanded closure of all belt shops, setting up of de-addiction centres, and mandatory permission from local bodies to establish liquor outlets. The forum opined that liquor sale should be done through Government-run outlets as is being done in New Delhi. They wanted one day in a week to be declared `dry day.'

Social worker and anti-liquor movement leader, Malladi Subbamma, alleged that the Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy's regime had become dictatorial. She said women would not hesitate to launch another round of struggle to force the Government to drop its move to increase liquor shops.

The NTR TDP president, N. Laksmi Parvati, said Tangaturi Prakasam Pantulu and N. T. Rama Rao were the two Chief Ministers who had dared to declare total prohibition, knowing well that they would lose revenue.

Former IAS officer C. Arjun Rao stressed the need for creating awareness among people about the ill effects of liquor.

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Andhra Pradesh