Nitish Vows To Ban Liquor In Bihar

UDAIPUR: Kachhabali village in Bhim tehsil of Rajsamand district has become the first in the state to vote to close down its lone liquor shop. The referendum on Tuesday saw 67.11% of voters saying they wanted no alcohol sale in the village.Polling was conducted by the excise department. Of the 2,886 voters in the nine wards of the panchayat, 2,039 voted. While 1,937 voted in favour of the ban on liquor, only 33 voted to keep the local liquor shop open. Sixty-nine votes were rejected. So in a way, around 95% of those who turned up to vote favoured the ban on liquor. Earlier, unmindful of the legal provisions, the villagers had organised a vote in the matter on February 29. That time, 49% of the voters had sought a ban on the sale of liquor. That vote was declared null and void since it did not follow the procedure laid down by law, and was conducted by the villagers themselves.This is the first time the provision of the Rajasthan Excise Act, 1975, that provides for the closure of a country liquor shop, was invoked. Under this provision, 51% of all registered voters - not just those present and voting - should opt to close down the shop. Before the poll is held, at least 20% of the voters of the gram panchayat or municipal ward must seek a referendum on the issue, in a letter to the district collector.Rajsamand district collector Archana Singh told TOI that when she came to the district a month-and-a-half ago she received complaints about liquor consumption. "There is rising awareness of the harm liquor does. Women are also more empowered now. The 'Nasha Mukti' campaign has been running for a while in the area, but villagers just needed to be told about the norms to be followed to have this referendum," the collector said.Now that the referendum has thrown up such a clear verdict, the shop is likely to be shut by April 1, the beginning of the new financial year.A report from the tehsildar will be submitted to the collector, who in turn will forward it to the excise department so that the shop could be sealed.Women had been rallying for the closure of the shop for several years. However, political patronage and money power had posed hurdles to the ban on liquor sale. The massive campaign before the polling on Tuesday has yeilded result this time. Three polling booths were set up for the purpose, and people arrived between 8 am and 5 pm to cast their votes. Some elderly people who could not walk were seen being carried to the booths by their kin.There is one licensed liquor stall in the village. The collector admitted that determined villagers might still get their liquor from stalls in other panchayats.