Protests against opening of liquor shops at various places in the State Capital and other parts of the State continued unabated on Monday.
In Dehradun district, out of 72, 24 liquor shops are still closed with the people hitting the streets to stonewall their relocation in new places. The excise department officials are worried over such stirs continuing for months.
Excise department officials said that the department has been losing revenue in the form of tax on liquors following closure of 24 liquor shops since April. Moreover, FIRs have been registered against the persons who take law in their hand while protesting and shutting down liquor shops. Police should take action against such people, the officials stressed. On condition of anonymity, they said that they are facing difficulties to find new places for the displaced liquor traders to help them resume their trade due to the stir by the women groups and also due the unsuitability of the places being proposed for them from the trading point of view.
Dehradun district excise officer Manoj Kumar Upadhyay on Monday said that following protesters over opening of liquor shops in various places in the Dehradun district, 24 liquor vends out of 72 have remained closed.Those found protesting against the opening of liquor vends should talk to the department officers and inform them reasons of their protests, a senior district excite official said.
At Halduchaur, lalkuan, local residents protested against opening of liquor shop on Monday, resulting in altercation and scuffle breaking out involving the protestors and booze traders who were engaged in relocating their vends. Police said that at least one person was reported injured in the scuffle. Meanwhile, the administrative officers reached the spot and intervened following which things turned normal.
Besides, the residents of Sauda Siroli village, Raipur protested against opening of liquor shops in their locality on Monday. They demanded shifting of liquor shops from their locality as a booze vend was reopened after its relocation at Maharana Pratap Sports College, Raipur. They assembled and shouted slogans against the administration for allowing shop owners to open the shop there. The protesters said that temple, schools, college and other educational institutes being operational in the area, they would not allow opening of a liquor shop here at any cost. Protesters slammed the state government for converting certain state highways into district highways to circumvent the apex court ruling of shifting the booze vends from the outer edges of the national and state highways.
In Dehradun, out of 72 liquor shops, 39 Indian Made Foreign liquor (IMFl), 31 country-made liquor (CMl) and two beer shops have been given licences for selling liquor.