Sale of liquor, addiction a big worry in dry Wardha district

Wardha: Wardha, the land of greats like Mahatma Gandhi and Acharya Vinoba Bhave, is among very few districts where liquor prohibition is in force since April 1, 1950. However, it’s a well-known fact that liquor flows freely in most of pockets outside the city from adjoining cities like Nagpur, Amravati and Yavatmal.
Even instances of illicit and spurious liquor are on the rise where members from a particular community called ‘Pardhis’ are into it. Of late, liquor addiction among Wardha citizens, particularly the youth, has assumed alarming proportions.

A visit to Wardha’s Waifad and Dorli villages depict the stark reality that more number of rural youths are now increasingly getting addicted to liquor in absence of jobs and lack of proper police monitoring. While Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) is popular in the city areas and easily available in the black market at a premium, illicit liquor made by the Pardhis is popular in rural areas due to cheap rates.

When TOI visited both villages, it found that not only youths, but even teenagers were in inebriated condition. On the condition of anonymity, the villagers say the community members have set up illegal manufacturing liquor dens on the outskirts of both villages.

“About 40 families from that community are engaged in illicit liquor trade as police machinery has failed to take any action. Someone from Waifad village tried to raise a voice once, but he was mercilessly killed about a couple of years ago. Since then, no one likes to take on the strong liquor mafia,” villagers said. It’s the reason no one dares to talk against the community, well-known for its hunting skills in ancient times.

A couple of years ago, a collector tried to transform the community members and conducted awareness drives in the villages, but everything is back to square one. “Those into liquor trade have made fortunes. A few years ago, they used to struggle for survival but now they travel in big sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and flaunt their wealth. Even women are helping their men in the thriving business,” the villagers said.

In absence of employment, a majority of youths pass their time sitting at the villages’ square and are drunk. Most of them depend on income of their parents and at times steal money from homes or sell scrap. Sources in police said IMFL is transferred to urban areas in Wardha from Nagpur’s Gandhibagh and Wardhaman Nagar areas.

Collector Vivek Bhimanwar said they conduct regular raids whenever they get information in this regard and will look into the villagers’ complain.

Admitting to manufacturing and sale of illicit liquor, superintendent of police SP Basavraj Teli said they recently seized foreign liquor worth Rs45 lakh after code of conduct for elections was enforced. “Many times, we raid such spots and destroy their liquor dens. We have imposed the stringent MPDA Act against repeat offenders, so that it should act as a deterrent. We’re trying our best to stop such illegal trade,” he said.