Women in Telangana village impose Rs 10,000 fine for drinking liquor

The Gram Panchayat in Timmapur village passed a resolution of imposing a fine of Rs 10,000 on those who drink, and Rs 1 lakh on those who sell them.
Women in Telangana village impose Rs 10,000 fine for drinking liquor
Women in Telangana village impose Rs 10,000 fine for drinking liquor
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Tired of alcoholic men creating trouble and blowing away their day’s earnings on liquor, women in Telangana’s Timmapur, Jagadevpur mandal in Siddipet have collectively vowed to end the menace of bootleggers in their village by imposing a fine of Rs 1 lakh on them. What’s more they’ve also resolved to impose Rs 10,000 as fine on those who consume liquor. 

The Gram Panchayat made the announcement on Wednesday. The village Sarpanch T Lakshmi passed a resolution about the penalty after holding a village meeting with women residents. Timmapur village has about 1500 families, and most of them depend on agriculture for their living. 

“It was a collective decision by the women. Alcohol addiction has wreaked havoc in the families, besides creating problems financially, some have lost lives due to it,” said Lakshmi to TNM.

“If they earn Rs 500 for a day, they are spending the entire money on alcohol. They are not bothered about their families or taking care of their children. Further, they create trouble at home. Everyone is losing peace because of it,” she said.

According to the Sarpanch Timmapur doesn’t have a wine shop. The villagers have to go about five kilometers to the nearest wine shop. As a result, the kirana shops in the village have been selling liquor illegally by charging Rs 10 additionally. 

“There are about four such shops. They didn’t pay heed to our repeated appeals to stop their business. So we women had to hold a meeting and collectively decided to bring in a change,” Sarpanch said.

‘Resolution a success’ 

The Sarpanch claims that the resolution has brought a great change in the village. “Since the resolution was passed, there has been no instance of anyone selling or drinking liquor,” she claimed.

“The notorious kirana shops have stopped selling them, if they continue to sell liquor defying our order, the village women will teach them a lesson,” she said suggesting violence. 

While the legal sanctity of such a resolution is questionable, the Jagadevpur Tahsildar too has given his approval for it. Tahsildar Matteen told TNM, “It is a good decision by the Sarpanch, we support it. Such decisions are necessary for fighting the menace of alcohol.”

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