The women of migrating communities living at Anche Chomanahalli in Kadur taluk have won their fight against the liquor shop at Bapuji Colony in the village.
The Excise Department has ordered the shifting of the liquor shop, considering the objections raised by women belonging to Sudagadu Sidda and Hakki Pikki communities in the village.
A.G. Girish opened the retail shop (CL2) on July 6 this year. The women, who are all daily wage workers, resolved to fight against it the same day. As many as 65 women staged a dharna for six days, losing their daily earnings. They did not give up the protest even when it rained heavily.
After listening to the arguments from both sides, Chikkamagaluru Deputy Commissioner of Excise K.K. Sumitha, on August 17, ordered the shifting of the shop within 60 days. The order was issued under Rule 5 of 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 High Court of Karnataka, in a judgment in 1997, had stated that when local residents are opposed to a shop, officials need not stick to the 100-metre rule. In this case, the shop owner had argued that his shop was more than 100 metres from the residential locality.
In the village of 150 families, migrant communities are more in number. The women were determined to close the shop as they were facing many problems at home because of the men’s addiction to alcohol.
“Until now, men travelled to nearby places to get liquor. Now the shop has come close to our place. My husband takes away my earnings to get drunk every evening. We have not been able to provide education to out children nor cleared the loans borrowed. This is the story of every family. If the shop is opened near the area, we will be ruined,” said Rathnamma, one of the protesters.
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As their protest began, the licence-holder tried to silence the women through various tricks. “The owner offered free liquor to the men of the village initially to gain their support. However, the women continued their struggle. Finally, a meeting was held in the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Excise in Chikkamagaluru, where 80 women registered their objections to the shop,” said C.K. Manjunath, a farmer and activist fighting for the rights of migrant communities.
