The Hindu : CPI(M) vows to force closure of `belt shops'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 23, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

CPI(M) vows to force closure of `belt shops'

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD Aug. 22. The State Committee of the CPI (M) has threatened to resort to direct action of forcing the closure of "belt shops,'' the parallel cheap liquor shops, across the State, if the Government failed to take any action against them in a week's time.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, B. V. Raghavulu, Secretary of the State Committee said it was the Government's policy of boosting the sale of liquor by hook or by crook and encouraging setting up of these shops indiscriminately that led to intense competition and death of eight persons.

He said more tragedies could happen, going by the Excise Commissioner's statement that the process of checking and monitoring had been diluted, after liquor manufacturers and dealers submitted a memorandum complaining about harassment. The Government owed an explanation on who has taken this decision to bring down the overall supervision.

Mr. Raghavulu expressed doubts over the "sabotage theory'' of mixing cyanide with liquor, being cited for the death of eight persons and said it could be a ploy to divert the attention of people from the inadequacies in the Excise policy.

The party would also oppose the move to privatise the maintenance of 33 kv sub stations, the first of which at Peddapulivarru in Bhattiprolu mandal in Guntur, is being handed over to Rythu Samakhya on August 24. The second one at Kollur, in the same district is being given away to Lok Satta next month.

This way the AP TRANSCO was planning to give away 90 sub-stations and "we will resist it stoutly.'' The move was again prompted by the World Bank, he alleged. The party would organise a meeting on power reforms on August 28 here coinciding with the Left parties agitation against power tariff hike, a few years ago.

The CPI(M) leader demanded an all-party meeting and evolving a consensus on release of water from major irrigation projects for averting clashes between farmers hailing from different districts. The Government has also failed in utilisation of Godavari waters.

Besides sharing of waters, issues like identification of beneficiaries for the "one-crore boons'' programme, filling of APPSC Group II posts, withdrawal of Government Order 774, restricting the number of permanent teachers in Government primary schools would be highlighted in a political campaign being taken up by the party from August 25 to 30.

Plea to reimpose prohibition: At another press conference, Mallu Swarajyam, vice-president of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), and P. V. Srinivas, secretary of the State Democratic Youth Federation of India, demanded reintroduction of prohibition in the light of the liquor tragedy. They too blamed the U-turn made by the State Government from imposing prohibition to its withdrawal and liberal and target-oriented Excise policy for the tragedy.

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