VDC: Cheap liquor to prove costly

Children filling water into empty cheap liquor bottles

The ‘Telangana brand new cheap liquor’ to be launched soon will break the back bone of the powerful Village Development Committees (VDOs) which are dominant.

An alternative power body controlling village activities it collects lakhs of rupees from the contractors though open auctions for selling toddy and liquor in their respective villages in all the districts in the Telangana.

VDCs are losing their main income source, that is giving permission for selling liquor in their villages (belt shops) with the licenses being given to contractors by the state government to sell liquor to be introduced.

The VDC s have stopped open auctions, giving permission or selling liquor in their villages and also contractors are not coming forward  in the wake of licensed shops to be set up in the villages soon.

Leaders of VDCs feel that state government is snatching away their income sources to fulfill its coffer through license fee and introducing cheap liquor.

Generally, VDCs will take up works like temple constructions, village arch and purchase private land for schools and other institutions for public cause. In some places, VDCs look after agriculture activities and development activities and even some times they set the agenda for political parties and collects money from the contesting candidates in the elections to support them.

Yapalguda grampanchayat comprising 3,000 voters and four hamlets in the Adilabad mandal has not conducted open auction this year though previous contract ended one month ago in the wake of state government’s efforts to sell licensed cheap liquor to check illicit liquor in the villages.

Yapalguda VDC member Ashok said ‘they have lost nearly Rs 13 lakh income for one year as they had not conducted open auction for giving permission to  contractors to sell toddy and liquor in the village in the wake of state government’s decision to issue licenses to contractors to sell the state government sponsored cheap liquor.

Habitual drinker Dasari Rajanna of the Yapalguda opined that the villagers will get back the money they lose by stopping the open auction for selling toddy and liquor in the village through state government sponsored cheap liquor to be sold for just Rs 30 for 180 ml as it was very less when compared to liquor being sold now.