Is suspension of liquor sale, owing to the lockdown, a loss of income for government or saving of precious money for the common man? The answer, of course, depends on which side of the fence you are but, women in general are a happy lot not only because of the saving but because it has brought peace in many a home.
“Yes, I am quite happy that his drunken tantrums have stopped, even if it is temporary,” observed the wife of an addicted government teacher. “There are many like me who have welcomed the development,” she added.
The 21-day lockdown would save about ₹ 100 crore in sale value of liquor for people across former united Adilabad district as the monthly sale is pegged around ₹ 135 crore mark. Drinkers will consume at least 23 lakh litres of liquor less this excise year, that is if the lockdown is not extended further.
Tipplers in fact constitute one of the sections which has been hard hit by the measures being taken to contain COVID-19. The sudden closure of shops on the day of Janata Curfew, which was followed up with the lockdown, caught them off guard and hardly anyone could make ‘arrangements’ for the ‘difficult’ days ahead.
Even the operators of the numerous belt shops, the illegal liquor vends scattered in rural areas as well as slums in towns, failed to ‘stock’ liquor. “They would have made a killing in the 21 days,” pointed out the owner of a retail liquor outlet from where most of the belt shop operators sourced their liquor.
The number of alcoholics is more in the working class who drink cheap liquor usually in belt shops. Doctors are warning that this segment of alcoholics could face health issues if the dry days are extended.
“Yes, a few out patients complaining of symptoms typical of the withdrawal faced by addicts are coming to the hospital everyday,” divulged doctor M. Dattu of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Adilabad. “Among such patients, more severe issues are faced by those who are addicted to toddy adulterated with diazepam and alprazolam drugs,” he pointed out.
About 20 addicts of spurious toddy had died in 2015 in the eastern parts of Nirmal district after the drink was in short supply due to a crackdown by the Excise department on vends selling the adulterated type then. It could have become worse had the government continued with curbing the illicit toddy that year.
