Press Releases Archive

Memo To Governor on Liquor Auctions

Hyderabad,
01/06/2010

To
Shri ESL Narasimhan,
Hon'ble Governor of Andhra Pradesh,
Hyderabad.

Your Excellency,

We are constrained to bring to your kind attention that the Andhra Pradesh Government continues to play havoc with the health and economy of millions of people by unabashedly pursuing liquor as a source of revenue. What is more shocking is that a Government which swears by the welfare of the common man and takes up schemes ranging from supply of rice at Rs.2 a kg to construction of houses for all is ruining them by facilitating supply of liquor at every nook and corner all over the State. The Government hopes to realize a revenue of Rs.15,000 crore by way of license fees, excise and sales tax from liquor sales this year even as it spends only a fraction of it on all welfare schemes. Specifically we are submitting this communication given that the state government is about to auction the licenses to wine shops across the state. Estimates indicate that the government expects to realize a revenue of nearly Rs.4,500crores by this short-sighted step alone. It is this auctioning of liquor licences that is contributing to the unbridiled proliferation of illegal liquor lending & beltshops acorss A.P.

According to a rough estimate, liquor, illicit arrack and gudumba have already ruined the lives of nearly seven million of families in Andhra Pradesh. Field visits by Lok Satta Party volunteers have revealed that there are many villages in Andhra Pradesh which are peopled mostly by widows as men folk have succumbed to addiction to liquor. Tens of thousands of women are leading miserable lives as the men folk spend their hard earnings to buy liquor and subject them to domestic violence.

Women in both rural and urban areas have taken to the streets demanding closure of unauthorized outlets, known as belt shops, in their localities since easy access to liquor has aggravated the problem of liquor addiction. The other cause, of course, is free distribution of liquor during elections by most political parties as part of vote bank politics.

The Lok Satta requests Your Excellency use your good offices as per the constitution framework and to intervene with the Government and ensure that steps are taken to restrict liquor consumption. We suggest that the following measures may be considered:

* As an immediate step, the auctioning of liquor licences for wine shops, bar & restaurants has to be suspended

* Restrict the number of licensed liquor shops to not more than 1000 in the entire State

* Close down all liquor sops on highways, close to schools and places of worship, and wherever the local population, especially women, oppose the establishment or continuance of the shops.

* Prohibit drinking in public and close liquor outlets along all highways

* Ban unauthorized liquor outlets, and enforce the ban on illicit distillation and gudumba manufacture and entrust elected local bodies with its enforcement

* The State government should act upon the advice and direction of the Union Health Ministry on curbing consumption of alchohol in the state and not viewing alchohol sales as a source of governmental revenue. The Union Ministry has even put forward the proposal to compensate State Governments for any loss of revenue due to curbing the sale of liquor.

* Undertake a campaign to dissuade people from drinking , open de-addiction centers at major locations across the state.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely yours,

V.Lakshman Balaji
(General Secretary - Lok Satta Party)

N. Saroja Devi
(President - Mahila Satta)

(State Yuva Satta)

(GHMC Mahila Satta)

Tuesday, June 1, 2010 - 21:16

Lok Satta stepsup drive against Liquor shop auctions

The Lok Satta Party has demanded that the Andhra Pradesh Government halt liquor shop auctions scheduled for June 7 and save common people from certain ruin.

Leaders of the Lok Satta Katari Srinivasa Rao, V. Laxman Balaji, G. Raja Reddy and Prathap Reddy, Mahila Satta leaders N. Saroja Devi and S. Gajanani, Yuva Satta Leaders Dasari Ratnam and P. Sivaji submitted memoranda to this effect to Governor ESL Narasimhan, Chief Minister K. Rosaiah and Health Minister Danam Nagender on Tuesday.

The leaders pointed out that those liquor dealers, who obtain licenses after paying astronomical bid amounts, promote unauthorized outlets (belt shops) to recoup investments and make profits. As a result, consumption of liquor has been spurting year after year, wrecking the health and finances of millions of families year after year.

The leaders quoted a NIMHANS study to underline that while the Andhra Pradesh Government earns Rs.15000 crore revenue in the ensuring Excise Year on liquor sales, the people will be spending Rs.16900 crore on healthcare costs. Assuming that they spend Rs.20000 crore on liquor purchases, the total outgo people’s pockets works out to Rs.36900 crore in a single year.

“The Government policy is inhuman and immoral in that it swears by people’s welfare and implements schemes ranging from Rs.2 a kg rice supply to Indiramma housing but robs them of their money and health by promoting liquor sales to maximize its revenues.”

The Andhra Pradesh Government had better heed Union Health Ministry’s advice and entrust formulation of a policy on liquor consumption to the State Health Department. The Excise Department is concerned only with maximizing Government revenue and not promoting people’s health.

According to Lok Satta leaders, the Health Minister promised to raise the issue of liquor in the Cabinet meeting on June 5 and the Governor, action against belt shops.

The Lok Satta plans direct action if the Government does not respond positively.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010 - 21:15

Update on Fly Over Near Hitec MMTS

  • The fly over is on a rail way track, so the HMDA(Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority) had to take the permission from the railway department to go ahead with the construction of the flyover.
  • The railway department changed the design four times which literally dragged the issue very long.
  • Apart from this due to crunch in the funds the work was stopped for 6 months
  • After Dr. JP took charge in Kukatpally he spoke to these 2 departments to expedite the process.
  • Now the work is going on in full swing (day & night).
  • The part of the fly over apart from the stretch on railway track will be complete in next 3-4 months.
  • The part of the fly over on railway track will be complete in 3 months from then.

Dr. JP spoke to the HMDA commissioner regarding the flyover at Cyber Towers, though it does not come under Kukatpally, and requested them to complete that one also as soon as possible. They promised that the fly over will be done in 3 months.

Monday, May 31, 2010 - 15:41

Dr. JP welcomes TDP stand on Eradicating corruption

The Lok Satta Party today wholeheartedly welcomed the Telugu Desam Party demand that the State and Union Governments enact a law providing for attachment of ill-gotten wealth of politicians. (The TDP adopted a resolution to this effect at its Mahanadu under way in Hyderabad now).

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, now in the U. S., said in a statement that the TDP demand was heartening.

Dr. JP, who circulated a draft Bill to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act among all legislature parties, had already requested TDP President N. Chandrababu Naidu to take the initiative as Leader of the Opposition to convene an all-party meeting to consider the Bill and move it in the Assembly, if the Government did not come forward. Dr. JP pointed out that the Bill specifically envisages a key role to the Leader of the Opposition in all appointments of senior officials of the Anti Corruption Bureau.

Dr. JP appealed to Chief Minister K. Rosaiah to view corruption from a non-partisan angle and eliminate it by creating the requisite institutional mechanisms. In his connection, he recalled Mr. Rosaiah’s recent call to the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) to be stern in dealing with irregularities and corruption and advising it “to command people’s respect and strike terror in the hearts of the corrupt.”

Dr. JP hoped that Mr. Rosaiah would walk his talk by taking the initiative to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act.

If the Bill drafted by Dr. JP is adopted, MLAs and MLCs, elected members of panchayats, municipalities, and municipal corporations will be deemed as public servants and attract the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

As per the Bill, an accused public servant has to prove his innocence in cases of trap or disproportional assets. It provides for attachment and seizure of property during investigation and forfeiture of property when he or she is found guilty.

The Bill provides for establishment of a special court in every district, appointment of chief judicial magistrates as special public prosecutors and autonomy to the Anti Corruption Bureau, and effective powers to the Lok Ayukta. Special courts can on their own take cognizance of corruption involving public servants.

The amendment Bill says in its preamble, “Corruption is so deeply entrenched in the system that most people regard corruption as inevitable and any effort to fight it as futile. This cynicism is spreading so fast that it bodes ill for our democratic system itself.”

"In fact, there is no reason to believe that we, as a people, are more prone to corruption than any other culture or society. Wherever competition and choice have been institutionalized, and technology and transparency introduced, corruption has been reduced. What we need is political will, systemic improvement, and relentless and assured application of law" Dr.JP said.

Saturday, May 29, 2010 - 18:26

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