It is estimated that Rs. 500 to Rs. 700 crore will change hands this year over cockfights in the State. This time, punters had brought birds from Indonesia, the neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka six months in advance to make the sport more fiery.
“We are rearing roosters brought from Indonesia in Peddada village of Vetlapalem mandal for the last four to five months.
“They are furious and stronger than the native ones,” said Sateesh, a relative of an MLC.
With astrological calendars like ‘Kukkuta Sastra’ having been specially designed for roosters, punters are planning to field the birds according to their stars.
“Each rooster has a colour, name and star. We will decide the ‘muhurtham’, after which we will sent our roosters,” said Satyanandam an organiser.
“Through cockfights, we net between Rs. 50 crore and Rs. 80 crore a day and liquor sales between Rs. 50 lakh and Rs. 1 crore a day,” said Sattiraju alias Satyanarayana Raju, a punter and liquor retailer from Mulakallanka.
In some places, cockfights are organised round-the-clock with the help of floodlights and power generators. These cockfights are expected to boost liquor sales tremendously this year.
I.Polavaram is a hub for cockfights, and on Bhogi, Sankranti and Kanuma days, punters participate in at least 100 places all in coconut grooves in the mandal along Godavari.
No going back
“We get tipped off about police raids, and immediately we pack up. After an hour, we start the game again,” said Rama Rao, a bigtime organiser in I. Polavaram.
Meanwhile, an MP is learnt to have inaugurated a cockfight in Eluru Rural mandal, while a former Union Minister did it some three days ago in Tuni and offered support for the game, claiming it was an old tradition.
Besides politicians, film personalities and businessmen make it a point to attend cockfights during Sankranti.
