Of late, there has been an uprising among women in the State as is evident from the instances where they do not hesitate to take law into their hands. And they have started targetting the most masculine spots in the society: The liquor dens.
From Mayurbhanj to Malkangiri and Konark (Puri) to Kalahandi, women now have a common agenda: To check liquor menace. There are ‘war cries of women’ against drugs and drinks.
A recent study revealed that women in Odisha are no more confined to their kitchens. They are taking up social causes and are picking up lathis for a greater cause.
An official statistics says women during the past one and a half years have destroyed 27 liquor shops. While nine shops were destroyed by women self-help groups (WSHGs), 15 were raided by general public and three by Maoists which include two shops in Bargarh and one in Balangir district. Of the 27 liquor shops, 12 were IMFl shops. Country sprit shops and off shops have also been targeted.
Women in Jagatsinghpur, Khurda and Dhenkanal districts have destroyed four liquor shops each while 13 of the 30 districts have witnessed such attacks. Recently, women activists demolished several liquor shops in the State capital city itself. Twenty-seven WSHGs created panic among liquor traders in Narasinghpur in Cuttack district and 20 WSHGs were up in arms in the Balugaon-Banpur area of Khurda district. Thousands of women smashed a liquor shop at Biridi in Jagatsinghpur district. Women groups are active in tribals-dominated districts too.
While women go on attacking the liquor shops, political leaders and the administration fear to prevent them from doing so in view of the upcoming elections.
Campaign for prohibition is not new in Odisha. Freedom fighters were active during the Independence struggle to end the liquor menace. After the Independence, the anti-liquor movement was confined to limited pockets.
During last ten years, about five lakh WSHGs have been formed in the State with more than 60 lakh members. In almost all districts, the WSHGs and their federations are active in demolishing liquor shops. The WSHGs have discovered liquor as a stumbling block in women’s socioeconomic wellbeing.
Besides the WSHGs, elected women representative of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban local Bodies (UlBs) are also taking active part in the anti-liquor campaign. An anti-liquor campaign activist said that more than one lakh WSHGs and about 20,000 PRI and UlB women representatives are in forefront of this campaign in their respective localities.
Massive use of tobacco and alcohol is a growing menace among youth that needs to be curbed, they feel. To prevent the youth from falling prey to alcohol and tobacco, more and more de-addiction centres are being established. Besides, a spirit of collective action is fostered among youth to build model villages that are free from alcohol abuse.
According to a study by the Institute of Social Sciences (ISS), New Delhi, rising levels of alcoholism among men is a major factor that has led to an increasing number of crimes against women. Children are also silent victims of the growing alcoholism. Another study conducted by the Odisha Mada Mukti Abhijan points out that about 91 per cent criminals and accused lodged in jails are alcoholic. Similarly, major road accidents are caused by drunk drivers. The study also points out that alcoholism has direct bearing on poverty, illiteracy, ignorance and bad health.
A man was arrested from Jalda in Sundargarh district recently for raping his seven-year-old girl and he committed the crime under the influence of liquor. In another bizarre incident, an intoxicated man under the Kuanrmunda police limits killed his four-year-old daughter. In the holy town of Puri, a school going girl and her mother lodged a complaint with the police against her addicted father who attempted to rape her. There are instances where a son killed his mother and father, a husband killed wife, and a brother killed his sisters. There are also instances where family members were forced to kill an alcoholic man.
It is also reported that brides in Mahakalpada, Ersama, Odpada and Dharuadihi are refusing to marry drunken grooms. These are only a few reported incidents. Recently, women groups of Kandakhal and Tumermunda of the Kantabanjhi area in Balangir district declared their villages liquor-free. Women in another village, Rebana-Nuagaon in Brahmagiri (Puri), also made their village ‘Zero Tolerance Zone’ with regard to liquor.
Votaries of liquor business are arguing that the State is now earning an excise revenue to the tune of `1,700 crore per annum against a total Budget outlay of `60,303 crore. When Naveen Patnaik became Chief Minister in 2000, the excise revenue was about `200 crore. As per non-official estimates of the NGOs engaged in anti-liquor campaign, boozers are today spending more than `20,000 crore per annum.
It is further revealed that the rates of conviction in excise-related cases as well as in rape and molestation crimes are less than five per cent.
MDIJ ahIJgIJOIJolitical parties could cash in on this by accepting the demand.