Liquor vends face women fury

A LARGE number of women have been protesting against the illegal and unauthorised liquor bhattis in Mau for the past one week. However, their pleas to local authorities for action have fallen on deaf ear. ?Without getting any response from the authorities in Mau, we decided to bring the issue to the Home Secretary, UP Government RM Srivastav. He responded to our pleas and asked us to meet him in Lucknow.

A LARGE number of women have been protesting against the illegal and unauthorised liquor bhattis in Mau for the past one week. However, their pleas to local authorities for action have fallen on deaf ear.

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“Without getting any response from the authorities in Mau, we decided to bring the issue to the Home Secretary, UP Government RM Srivastav. He responded to our pleas and asked us to meet him in Lucknow. Today he promised us that he would set up an inquiry committee that would look into the matter,” said Fatima, one of the protestors and a member of the delegation that came to meet the Home Secretary.

Talking about the issue Kismati said, “Around 2000 women began a dharna on April 26 and since then we have been protesting against illegal liquor bhattis. We have gathered support from various organisations. But the district administration of Mau has not supported us despite the fact that our dharna was right outside their government office. The police have not arrested people who are doing this illegal business for years now. We have broken and dismantled around 60-70 illegal liquor bhattis in the past sometime.”

“The bhattis and their ill effects have made our life hell. Only because of cheap liquor our husbands have stopped working and drink right from the morning,” says Vimla, a member of the delegation that came to Lucknow to visit the government officials.

However, now after the matter took a serious turn the district administration of Mau has decided to take action against illegal liquor shops.