Hundreds of residents of Khudda Lahora village and of two colonies near it protested against a newly-opened liquor vend Saturday evening. The residents alleged that the vend, which opened three days ago, was not inside the red line as per UT excise policy.
The reason that residents are angry is because the liquor vend is located right next to the only bus stop in the area.
Gurvinder Singh, a resident of Khudda Lahora village, said, “This is the pick up and drop point for all school buses from Chandigarh. Our women also use this bus stop to catch buses to the city. With the opening of this vend, our children will be subjected to the sight of drunken louts every day.’’
Calling it a social problem, another resident said they have been approaching the administration to build a permanent bus stop in the area for last seven years but to no avail. “And now, we will have to suffer due to this liquor only because the administration wants money,” said a protesting woman.
Gurvinder Singh further said a few days ago, when they saw this vend being built, they approached the owner who assured them that he was building a hotel. ‘’They lied to us,’’ fumed Singh.
A woman said she was worried about the effect this vend will have on impressionable children.
Soon, they gathered in large numbers and began to protest at the site. ‘’This is the only way we can register our protest,’’ said a villager, who alleged that the owner of the vend was connected to a political party. ‘’We have photos that show him sitting next to the MP Kirron Kher when she visited our village recently,’’ he alleged.
