Taking a cue from the successful referendum in favour of closure of liquor shops at Rojda village near Jaipur, women in half-a-dozen villages in the Bhim block of Rajsamand district in Rajasthan have launched an agitation demanding complete prohibition in the region. The protesters pointed out that illegal outlets in the villages were selling liquor round the clock.
Rare referendum
Villagers of the Rojda panchayat samiti voted overwhelmingly for shutting down liquor shops in a referendum held on March 19 under a provision in the Rajasthan Excise Act, 1950, which has been rarely put to use.
A clause introduced through an amendment to the Excise Act provides that a liquor shop can be closed and a ban on liquor sale imposed if 51% of all registered voters — not just those present and voting — in the panchayat samiti or municipal ward opt for its closure. Before the poll is held, at least 20% of the voters must seek a referendum in a letter to the District Collector.
The village panchayats of Thaneta, Mandawar, Thikrawas and Barar sent the proposals for holding referendum to the Rajsamand Collector and District Excise Officer earlier this month after holding gram sabhas and obtaining signatures of voters. The administration’s response is still awaited.
About 1,000 women from six villages staged a demonstration outside the Bhim Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s office over the week-end and demanded that a date of voting before March 31 be announced and all illegal liquor shops be closed immediately along with strict action against their owners.
‘Women worst hit’
“The illegal sale of liquor has ruined rural families. Women and children are the worst sufferers... Even children who are sent to fetch liquor from shops have become addicts,” said Lakshmi Devi, a participant in the dharna.
Social activist Narayan Singh, a member of the Mazdoor Kishan Shakti Sangathan, said while the villagers’ plea against illegal liquor stores takes several months to reach the State Capital, the government’s communication travels within seconds. “Is this the digital India being promoted by the new government?” he asked.
Gandhian leader and Nashamukt Bharat Andolan’s State convener Sawai Singh also reached Bhim to extend support to women’s agitation. “Isn’t is strange that the government, which is unable to supply clean drinking water in villages, has allowed liquor shops to thrive?” he asked.
Dharna threatened
The protesters announced that an indefinite dharna at the Bhim block headquarters would be started from March 30 if the referendum under the Excise Act was not fixed by that date.
The provision for holding referendum to enforce prohibition has been used twice so far in Rajasthan. Prior to the voting in Rojda, 90% of villagers in Kachchbali panchayat of Rajsamand district had voted in March last year against keeping its only licensed liquor outlet open.
