JEYPORE: Dalimba Pangi, a 55-year villager, has returned to his agricultural field. Earlier, he used to spend time drinking with other villagers while his two children and wife grew paddy to sustain the family. Similarly, another villager Dayani Pangi who used to drink liquor and play cards the entire day is now selling snacks outside the village to eke out a living. Many like Dalimba and Dayani have given up on liquor consumption and sales have come down.
In tribal-dominated Badakudi village under Jeypore block, the anti-liquor movement started by a group of 30 women in April this year has started showing results. It took women of the remote village in Koraput district just two months of a continuous awareness drive and warning of a hefty penalty on drunkards to weed out the liquor menace.
The village with a population of 700 households has five liquor-selling outlets. The menace of liquor consumption had in one way or the other affected each and every family with men staying away from work to consume liquor or spending their income on it. This also changed the social fabric of the village as in some cases, even women and youths resorted to consuming liquor. Gambling, domestic violence, and fights among villagers had become a regular affair.
Every year, activists said, the village saw at least 3 to 4 liquor-related deaths. Despite pleas by the women, the local administration did not do much to stop the sale. Forced to take the matter into their hands, a group of 30 women - mostly the ones whose husbands were addicted to liquor - began a drive to stop liquor sale and consumption.
They started by approaching the liquor vendors to stop sales in the village but none paid heed. In the subsequent weeks, they met each and every villager urging them to stop consuming liquor and creating awareness among them of its ills of it.
With the approval of some village heads, they then announced to impose a penalty of `10,000 on anyone found selling liquor and consuming it in the village. Besides, they warned not to allow any outsiders to enter the village after consuming liquor. The women also informed the Jeypore Sub-Collector, SDPO and Excise Officer about their intention and sought support in the drive.
The threat of a penalty worked and in the last two months, there has been no sale in any of the five outlets.
“We are sleeping peacefully these days without having to worry about our husbands spending their money on liquor or coming home in an inebriated condition to hit children and us,” said Champa who is also a part of the 30-member team. Cases of domestic violence are down, she added.