Demanding crackdown on illegal liquor shops in the area, Kirari Congress workers, along with thousands of residents (mainly women), on Sunday carried out protest rallies. The protestors demanded that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Delhi Government and the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) should immediately take action against the 400 illegal country liquor shops doing business in Kirari, one of the most underprivileged areas of the national Capital, with sales amounting to almost `50 crore annually.
leading the movement, Congress leader Pratyush Kanth alleged that more than 400 illegal liquor shops (thekas) are being run in the 106 resettlement colonies of Kirari. “We are demanding a CBI or an Anti-Corruption Branch probe in this huge illegal liquor trade against politicians, police officials and rich property dealers who are involved in this business. The most underprivileged people of Delhi are being robbed off their earning and are being pushed to become alcoholics by these powerful people who control the illegal trade,” said Kanth.
“'About 8 lakh people live in Kirari and around 95 per cent of the working population here comprise of daily wagers. Every day hundreds of them spend half or more of their earnings on country liquor. This illegal liquor business has ruined the lives of thousands of people here and is spreading like cancer,” said Kanth.
The women and children of Kirari have been hugely affected by the ever increasing number of thekas in Kirari. The situation has become so serious that women are scared to step out of their homes after sunset. They say, “Surya asth, Kirari mast (After sunset, Kirari is tipsy).” Gang wars, wife-beating, snatching, petty crimes, etc. are all on the rise here because the poverty-stricken and unfortunate who live here want to forget the torment of their existence and hence, take to alcohol in a big way.
“The volume of the illegal liquor trade business is huge. All these 400 thekas do a business of at least `1 lakh a month. The monthly bribe to the local cops is fixed here at around `7,000 a month. The country may be facing a big time slow-down of the economy but the illegal country-liquor sale is booming in Kirari and a very powerful cartel of big time property dealers, politicians and police officers run this as a very organised business,” said Kanth.