SRIKAKULAM: The women, whose husbands are addicted to alcohol, are now seem to be a relieved lot, thanks to drop in liquor consumption for the last two weeks due to demonetisation.
Liquor consumption is more in Srikakulam district with a majority of labourers and villagers have become addicted to alcohol. Many of them spend half of their earnings on liquor. NREGA workers top the list of liquor consumption in the district.
Srikakulam town has 14 bars and 29 liquor shops. As many as 232 liquor shops are functioning in 38 mandals of the district. Besides, there are a number of belt shops. Generally, the average sale of liquor per day in the district is Rs. 93 lakh and it has come down to Rs.35 lakh per day in the last one week.
In Srikakulam, major shops sell liquor worth around Rs.70,000 lakh per day and it has come down to Rs. 30,000 per day. Similar is the case with bars, the sale of which drops to Rs.40,000 from Rs.75,000.
“Though the cash crunch has been causing inconvenience, I am happy in one aspect that my husband could not buy liquor after withdrawal of big notes. He used to spend around Rs.150 per day on alcohol,” says Y. .Ramanamma, a resident of Mandala veedhi here.
“We tried in vain to reform my husband by approaching de-addiction Centre in Visakhapatnam. But, demonetisation has its impact,” says L. Suseela, a villager of Pedapadu on the outskirts of Srikakualm town.
Several women organisations such as Pragati Sila Mahila Sangham and Kinjarapu Jeevan Seva Foundation are of the view that violence against women would come down if liquor consumption is restricted due to demonetisation.
According to physician Kutikuppala Suryarao, immunity levels improve among those who stop taking alcohol for three to four weeks.
