New Delhi: Tribal women of Khurik village in Himachal’s Spiti valley have imposed a ban on the sale, purchase and use of liquor in order to prevent their youth from getting addicted to alcohol. The village people have also decided to send one child to the local government school to keep it from shutting down. A fine of Rs 1,000 if anybody is caught with liquor, the mahila mandal decided. The residents and panchayat have welcomed this decision.
The villagers have put up awareness slogans in the village to encourage residents not to drink. It was also decided by the villagers that they will not allow anybody to open liquor shop in the village.
According Kamla Devi told Times of India, “The decision to ban liquor production and sale in village was taken unanimously when Dorje Dolma was our president. Liquor is the enemy of our future generations and control on it is need of hour. We are happy that all residents honoured the decision. Other villages also want to follow us. Although we live in remote areas, we strive for better living, good society and better environment.”
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Khurik village is at an altitude of 12000 ft in Lahaul-Spiti and has about 50 families, in the cold winter months homemade liquor is widely used. Youths using alcohol was becoming a matter of concern, which is why the women of the village decide to impose the ban.
Besides the ban on liquor, the villagers have decided to send at least one child to the government school which was about to close due to the decreasing number of pupils.
The Mahila Mandals of Lahaul-Spiti are considered to be a strong force. Earlier they imposed a ban on felling of trees and hunting, as a result not a single tree felling case has been reported and the animals have increased in numbers according to the TOI report.