The managers of displaced liquor shops had to face the ire of the people even at new locations after the outlets were shifted out of residential areas and from near the highway. The local residents staged protest near Salempur village against the construction of liquor shop under the jurisdiction of Ranipur police station. They removed the display board and set it on fire in resentment on Sunday afternoon. The police brought the situation under control and asked the villagers to submit a memorandum to the district administration regarding their grievance.
The Ranipur police station in charge Pradeep Bisht told The Pioneer that no information was given to the police by the district administration before directing relocation of the liquor shops. “The situation is under control and villagers have gone back to their homes. We have asked them to put their issues before the district magistrate,” said Bisht.
It is worth mentioning here that following the orders of the Supreme Court, 69 liquor shops were closed on Saturday. There are 104 liquor shops in the district and out of these 69 are near the highway and need to be displaced. For shifting these shops, the department had started searching places insides lanes of villages where the local villagers are protesting. The district excise officer N R Joshi says that same situation is prevalent at all the places where shifting of liquor shops is proposed.
The BJP legislator from Haridwar rural Swami Yateeshwaranand said that in no condition, the liquor shop would be allowed to be opened near residential areas. He said he would also meet CM in the same connection.