Post Malvani hooch tragedy, Maharashtra dithering over prohibition in Yavatmal district

The government may have taken a lot of flak over the deaths of 97 people in the Malvani hooch tragedy, but it is still to yield to the demand of prohibition in Yavatmal district despite continuing agitations by NGOs.

Yavatmal, which has the dubious distinction of the suicide capital of Maharashtra, also has some of the suicides by farmers as a result of poverty due to alcohol addiction. Inconsistent crops coupled with loan burden force farmers to hit the bottle, which wreaks havoc in their families, said Kishor Tiwari, a firebrand leader from Vidarbha fighting for the cause of farmers.

Tiwari said that on one hand the government was not providing any relief to farmers in terms of fair and remunerative price, while on the other, it was not banning liquor despite agitations.

Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana president and Lok Sabha MP Raju Shetti demanded immediate action against local police officers in case of Malwani-like tragedies, adding, "The hooch sellers can't operate without their protection."

Shetti said the women's wing of his organisation has been working on prohibition with aadvi baatli agitations where the members raid hooch-making kilns. He said that while the government has banned liquor in a few districts, it waits for other districts to come with a demand. "This in itself is contradictory."

At present, several NGOs in Yavatmal are holding agitations to press for total prohibition. The Yavatmal zilla parishad also has passed a resolution for imposing prohibition.