Terming liquor as an obstacle in social harmony and the root cause of social evils, a panchayat of Bhungarka village in Mahendragarh district has banned consumption and sale of liquor in the village. It has also prohibited the playing of DJ music system keeping in view the rising incidents of violence at weddings and other celebratory functions.
The panchayat also resolved to impose a penalty of Rs 11,000 on those found violating the restrictions. A team of 21 people of the village, including women, has also been formed to keep a tab on villagers who are habitual of consuming and selling liquor in the village.
The panchayat jointly presided over by the village sarpanch Rajender Parshad and Krishnanand Saraswati also decided to get a liquor vend being run in the village shut so as to implement the decisions effectively.
"We have asked the liquor vendor to close his vend in the village within the next five days as the panchayat has taken the initiative to fight the increasing menace of drug and liquor addiction among the villagers," Rajender Parshad told mediapersons.
He maintained that around 25 families in the village had already been ruined because of consumption of liquor during in the last two decades. These were the families which had their costly ancestral land in the village and were considered to be financially sound. Now, the family members were struggling even to arrange their bread and butter, he added.
"By slapping the ban on sale and consumption of liquor, we shall be able to keep the villagers away from liquor. Once the decision is executed efficiently, it shall turn out to be helpful in maintaining brotherhood and social harmony in the village as well because several violent incidents have taken place in the past due to liquor addiction," said the sarpanch.
Rajender maintained that the panchayat would pay the security amount of Rs 1 lakh to the vendor so as to protect him from financial loss if the excise and taxation department did not refund his security for closure of liquor vend in the village. The amount would be collected from the villagers in the form of donation as per their paying capacity, he added.