A tragic scene in Bidar district came when women from the village of Neelakanthawadi turned on the Basavakalyan MLA Sharanu Salagar. They cried at his heels and pleaded with him to not allow liquor sale as there has been a number of deaths due to their abuse of alcohol.
MLA Sharanu Salagar visited Neelakanthawadi village where many women met him. They placed their hands on one another’s shoulders and we pleaded with him to discontinue liquor sales. About 22 people, including college youth, have died of drinking in our region in recent times.
Residents claimed liquor seems to be sold openly in all corners of the village, even in small Kirana shops. Many families have lost their men, and several women are widows thanks to the alcohol deaths, local people say.
The women’s emotional appeal has highlighted the seriousness of the situation. Their desperate plea to people to take action in rural areas has raised the case, for which videos of that and others in this way have gone viral and has raised the discussion that liquor should be tighter in those areas. People appreciated and others have not been able to understand the cause for those things.
Then the anger of villagers that law enforcement has been abandoned can really be seen in this picture. The demand among them is simple: the survival of their youth must be promoted by stopping liquor sales in the village.
This case does point to the wider issue of alcohol abuse in rural areas. Easy availability of liquor leads to addiction, health complications and families that come apart. The deaths in Neelakanthawadi give us some chilling signs of what a tragedy liquor sales can become if we do not take action.
Besides bans on liquor, all experts tell us is that awareness programs, rehabilitation for victims, and strict policing in illegal commerce must also continue in place. In the future, villages will suffer similarly dreadful tragedies without these measures.
The women of Neelakanthawadi have waged a passionate public campaign to our MLA and asked him to save their families as well as their children by banning liquor sales in their town. Their tears reflect the cry of loss of loved ones and desperation to protect their children. The incident does send out a powerful message about civic responsibility and wise governance for people to know that our society will only be safe from such things as this.
