Liquor shop owner gets 30-day extension

The women residents of Anche Chomanahalli in Kadur taluk, who fought against the liquor shop at Bapuji Colony in the village in August this year and succeeded to get an order for its closure, are now

The women residents of Anche Chomanahalli in Kadur taluk, who fought against the liquor shop at Bapuji Colony in the village in August this year and succeeded to get an order for its closure, are now disappointed. The owner of the shop has got one more month to relocate his shop from the Excise Department.

The women from migrating communities - Sudagadu Sidda and Hakki Pikk - had staged a six-day protest in front of the shop demanding its closure. They were worried that their families would be ruined if the shop is opened close to their locality. Considering their protest, Deputy Commissioner of Excise K.K.Sumitha issued an order on August 17, for the closure of the shop within 60 days. The shop owner was asked to relocate it. The order was issued as per the Karnataka Excise Act, 1967, which prohibits the establishment of liquor shops within 100 metres of a religious place, school, hospital and SC-ST residential locality. The Hindu had carried a report on the issue on August 23.

“We were all happy when we got the closure order. We were counting the days of closure and expecting that it would be closed on Sunday, the deadline,” said C.K. Manjunath, a farmer and activist of the village.