No let-up in stir against wine shop

Students, homemakers demand shifting of shop from Gnanapuram locality

Residents and students staging a protest with a coffin demanding shifting of wine shops from Gnanapuram area in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.

A wine shop at Gnanapuram, which was located close to schools, colleges, churches and a temple, was forced to down shutters for the past two weeks as women and students of the area have been waging a protest demanding shifting of the shop.

The woman protestors placed a coffin right in front of the shop, located beside the Gnanapuram Main Road, and staged a protest preventing trader from opening it. Slogans were written on the coffin ‘Wine makes woman widow’ and raised slogans demanding shifting of the wine shops from residential areas in Gnanapuram.

Students of St. Joseph’s College for Women and residents of the area participated in large numbers and raised slogans demanding shifting of the shop.

A number of schools, colleges and churches are located in the area.

“Boozers are creating nuisance on the roads and are misbehaving with women pedestrians and girl students. We have been agitating for the past 14 days but now we hear that permissions would be given for a few more wine shops in the area,” said Sujatha, resident.

“These shops should be shifted to safeguard women and children. As a result of our protest, the shop has been closed for the past three days and women and children are feeling safe walking on the road,” she said.

“Some young men, who were addicted to alcohol, were blowing up their hard-earned wages on liquor and neglected their aged parents. The situation has come to such a sorry state that some vagabonds were supplying liquor to these addicts at their doorstep,” said Appalanarasamma, another resident.

“There are churches, a Sivalayam, a number of schools and colleges in the area. Women, girl students and children are suffering a lot due to the nuisance being created by the drunkards on the road. We demand immediate shifting of the wine shops out of the area,” Fr. Ch. Rajkumar of St. Peter’s Cathedral said.

Later in the evening, BJP city president M. Nagendra went to the area and participated in the protest being organised by women and expressed his solidarity with their demand.

He said women were suffering and young men were indulging in vices and ruining their careers due to alcohol addiction and agreed with the women protesters that the wine shops should not be allowed in residential areas.

Nr Nagendra said the BJP would exert pressure on its ally – the TDP – in this regard.

BJP leaders G. Chandrasekhara Naidu and Sanjeeva Rao also participated in the protest.