The Odisha Mada Mukti Abhiyan (OMMA), an anti-alcohol outfit, has urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to ensure total prohibition of alcohol in the State like in Gujarat.
Submitting a seven-point charter of demands to the CM, the activists argued that use of alcohol is causing huge financial, physical, law and order crises, besides destroying peace and social harmony in the society.
The demands included immediate enforcement of the Odisha Prohibition Act of 1956, immediate closure of liquor shops functioning near educational institutions, railway stations, along roadsides and even in Government lands, to hear public grievances by giving advertisements in newspapers before allowing to open new liquor shops or their annual renewal and to give police power to anti-liquor. The memorandum also stated that the Chief Minister in his recently launched Odisha Youth Policy has admitted that a large section of youth is consuming alcohol. “Then, on what ground you are not taking step to contain alcoholism,” the memorandum asked him.
On Wednesday the outfit observed Gandhi Jayanti as “Alcohol-Free Day” at the village, panchyat, block, district and State levels.