Telangana Mahila Congress urges governor to ensure a crackdown on drugs and pubs culture

HYDERABAD: Telangana Mahila Congress leaders comprising TPCC working president J Geetha Reddy, former union minister Renuka Choudhary, former MLA N Padmavathi Reddy among others met governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Friday and urged her to use her good offices to ensure that narcotics and drugs test is conducted on all the accused in the minor gang rape case.
In a memorandum submitted to the governor, mahila Congress members stated that: “In order to save lives of youth and ensure that heinous crimes like rapes are not repeated, Congress party demands that Telangana government should immediately crackdown on all the pubs and hookah parlours, drug peddlers, suppliers, consumers and the big fish behind drugs trade in the state and adopt zero tolerance policy towards drugs.”
A crack down on pubs and hookah parlours is essential as these establishments are turning out to be the breeding grounds of grievous crimes. Even the students and youth from middle class and lower income groups are also getting addicted to the pb and drugs culture, the leaders alleged.
They also demanded implementation of a humanistic and socially progressive excise policy to control the supply and consumption of liquor in the state. The TRS government is overtly encouraging alcohol consumption and boasts of revenues increasing every year through liquor sales.
“Those in power should know that alcohol sales are rising at the cost of peoples’ health and personal finances. It is also causing deterioration of our culture and social order. Instead of encouraging liquor sales, the state government should focus on controlling it by closing down all belt shops,” stated the representation submitted by Mahila Congress.
They also demanded that the government rein in the entire network of ganja and drugs. Even ganja cultivation and its supply has been growing at an alarming rate in Telangana and neighbouring states. It is being sold even on e-commerce sites and online portals, they alleged.
The government should launch publicity campaigns to educate and enlighten the youth about the ill effects of pubs, drugs, hookah and alcohol consumption, they added.