Rayagada: The women members of self-help groups (SHGs) in Dumaguda and Mariguda villages here have decided to impose a penalty of Rs 1,000 on the alcoholics, a SHG member said Wednesday.
According to sources, women in Dumaguda and Mariguda villages seldom step out of home after sundown fearing the mischief of drunkards.
“Liquor has destroyed many families in our village. The ground adjacent to the guesthouse in our village has become a virtual boozing ground as alcoholics could be seen boozing day in and day out there. As if this wasn’t enough, the drunkards booze and leave behind broken bottles at our farmlands. These in many occasions have inflicted injuries to children and women in particular. The drunkards have wreaked havoc in the localities as a result women and children feel unsafe to come out of homes in the evening,” a SHG member of Dumaguda said following a meeting.
According to the SHG members, the move would go a long way in curbing the menace.
The SHG members have sought intervention of Excise and police officials to curb the menace in the locally. “If no action is taken, we’ll be forced to take to the streets,” said another SHG member.
Rayagada sub-collector Pratap Chandra Pradhan hailed the move, but has urged the SHG members to refrain from penalising the boozers as, according to him, they have no legal rights to do so.
PNN
