KOPPAL: Residents of a Koppal village have resolved this year to rid their village of addiction to alcohol, drugs, gambling and tobacco. How? By letting all the residents slap those indulging in such vices and also by imposing a fine for every violation.
Recently, the villagers of Kuntoji met at Durgadevi temple and decided that the addicts would be slapped first physically and then slapped with a fine of Rs 25,000 for selling or consuming liquor, chewing gutka or playing matka.
At the meeting, the villagers also discussed problems of family conflicts, financial difficulties, debt and the future of the younger generation because of these addictions.
Some suggested that they should follow the rule book of tribal villagers from Indravelli taluk in Adilabad district of Telangana, and everyone agreed. There, this type of punishment was started in 2018 after the villagers witnessed many quarrels and financial crises because of rampant alcoholism.
Devappa Kamalapur, a resident of Koppal who visited Kuntoji, said, “I attended the meeting when I was there on personal work. The villagers first shared how they have suffered because of these bad habits. They concluded that these vices are harming families and the village environment too. Some members took the example of the village in Telangana and decided on the slapping punishment and the fine. The decision was taken unanimously. This is a good initiative and this should become a role model for others too.”
An official from the Gangavathi Taluk Panchayat said, “We heard about it, but have not received any official communication. We will look into it. This is a good decision.”