Stirs particularly spearheaded by the women groups against the liquor vends in several parts of Dehradun continued on Saturday. Residents of Survey Chowk and EC Road staged stirs, demanding the immediate removal of the booze vends located in Survey Chowk.
Residents of Survey Chowk and EC Road area assembled at Survey Chowk in the morning and demanded removal of liquor shops located in the area.
According to the protesters, several schools, colleges and other educational institutes aside from temples being located the Survey Chowk area, the presence of two liquor shops is vitiating the atmosphere of the place. “It is a purely residential area. We would not allow the liquor shops to affect the peace of our family. Besides, we are alarmed over rising trend of school/college going students falling prey to the danger of liquor consumption. We cannot allow our children to go the same way,” said Anjali.
Another protestor said that despite them having staged stir over the issue several times, things have come to no avail. “We would this time submit a memorandum over the same issue to the district administrative officer,” she said.
In Premnagar area too, spurred by the Supreme Court ruling imposing ban of sale and consumption of liquor in the vicinity of national and state highways, the anti-alcohol groups with the women in the van staged stirs on the demand of the removal of the existing liquor shops.
The same was seen at Simithnagar where the protestors staged demonstration at the DM camp and demanded removal of liquor shops from the residential areas under Simithnagar.
A BJP leader Kamal Raj who also participated in the agitation demanding removal of booze shops from Premnagar said that the demand was justified, given that a India made foreign liquor shop was located near a school. “The anti-social elements roaming around the area in drunken condition have made the residents feel insecure,” he said.
There were also reports coming from several districts of the women groups staging stirs demanding removal of the liquor vends. A large number of women has reportedly hit the roads across Almora district, demanding removal of the existing liquor shops and opposing any move to relocate the now- displaced liquor vends to new areas of the district.