CHENNAI: Congress MLA S Vijayadharani representing Vilavancode Assembly constituency in Kanyakumari district is all set to move a private member Bill in the State Assembly for enforcing total prohibition in Tamil Nadu and accordingly in pursuance of that, she submitted a copy of the bill to Speaker P Dhanapal on Monday. On August 18, she had sent the copy of the Bill to the Speaker by post as per the House Rules.
Vijayadharani told Express that she had urged the Speaker to adjourn the House proceedings on August 25 to take up the bill for discussion. The Bill, titled “Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Liquor and Rehabilitation of Persons affected by Consumption of Liquor Bill, 2015,” is said to urge the Tamil Nadu government “to prepare a draft plan for total prohibition of liquor in Tamil Nadu in stages.”
Due to supply of liquor and its consumption, society has deteriorated leading to frequent murders, killing for gain, atrocities against women, sexual harassment against women besides affecting children, students and families, the Bill added.
Stating that young people die with chronic diseases on account of their liquor consuming habit and thereby hindering the growth of the State, the Bill is aimed at developing human resources for the welfare of society as currently considerable amount of this resource is being wasted due to alcoholism.
The Bill reportedly says that people affected by liquor consumption should be given free-medical treatment through rehabilitation centres of the State government as they consume liquor from government-owned TASMAC shops.
In the case of a death of an alcoholic, the government should pay a compensation of `25 lakh besides bearing the expenses for conducting his funeral rites. If the individual’s liver or any other organ is affected by liquor, the transplantation of such organs should be done free of cost in foreign countries at the expense of the government, the bill states.
Meanwhile, the DMK floor leader MK Stalin also said that his party too had given notice, for moving a private member Bill on prohibition, to the Speaker. He was evasive when asked whether the DMK would support the private member bill moved by the Congress.
Homage Paid to APJ, Chendur Pandian, MSV on First Day
Chennai: The State Assembly was adjourned on Monday, the first day of the current session, after paying homage to former President APJ Abdul Kalam, former minister P Chendur Pandian and music director M S Viswanathan who passed away recently. Speaker P Dhanapal moved condolence resolutions and members observed silence as a mark of respect. The Speaker also read outreferences condoling the death of 10 former members of the House — TP Arumugam, P Murugaiyan, C Krishnan, R Krishnaswamy Gopalar, K Marthachalam, R Mahednran, S Paulraj, Alagu Thirunavukkarasu, S Sangumuthu Thenvar and K Thangamuthu — and adjourned the House for the day.