DEHRADUN: In recent times, the tribal areas of Uttarakhand have been openly vocal about the issue of prohibition. Late on Friday night, a public meeting was held in the village panchayat of Buraswa, which included residents of three villages - Bangoti, Bandarah, and Timra. In this unanimous decision, it was decided that the consumption of alcohol, cannabis, opium, smack, etc. within the village will be completely prohibited.
In the meeting chaired by the village head Sushila Rawat, after discussing various points against addiction, several complex rules were made against those who sell and consume intoxicants. A member of the gram panchayat stated, “If the rules are violated by the villagers, social penalties will be imposed. Those who sell alcohol or other intoxicants will face a penalty of 51,000 rupees, while those who purchase alcohol and other intoxicants will be fined 21,000 rupees.”
“Apart from this, a reward of Rs 1,100 will be given to the person giving information to the village panchayat and the village head about the name of the person violating the rules,” village representative Narendra Singh said. Those who consume alcohol or drugs and behave indecent or abusive in the village will have to pay a fine of Rs 11,000”
In addition, the sale and purchase of alcohol will also be prohibited, with villagers imposing a complete ban on the sale and purchase of illicit alcohol. “Furthermore, vendors are not allowed to enter the village, and external traders are prohibited from participating in any commercial activities within the community. Compliance with these rules is mandatory for all villagers” the village panchayat resolved.
Earlier, villages in Pachwadun region had also imposed similar restrictions for prohibition in their villages. Former head of Kalsi Shamsher Singh Tomar said that people of Kota Dimau, Gadol and Bohri villages in Tehsil Kalsi area, located 44 km from district headquarters Dehradun, do not even touch liquor or other drugs.
Previously, villages in the Pachwadoon area also implemented bans on alcohol consumption. Shamsher Singh, the former member of a Kalsi village, shared with this newspaper, “The residents of Kota Dimau, Gadol, and Bohri villages in Tehsil Kalsi, situated 44 km from Dehradun under the district headquarters, strictly abstain from consuming alcohol or any other drugs.”
Social penalties
A member of the gram panchayat stated that if the rules are violated by the villagers, social penalties will be imposed. Those who sell alcohol or other intoxicants will face a penalty of Rs 51,000, while those who purchase alcohol will be fined Rs 21,000. A reward of Rs 1,100 will be given to ones informing of such violations.