Nearly a week after the Jagan government allowed liquor shops in the state to open, a public interest litigation (PIL) has been moved in the Andhra Pradesh High Court demanding their closure.
The petition has been filed by the Mathrubhoomi Foundation. The petitioner through the counsel BSNV Prasad contended that the opening of liquor shops is failing the purpose of lockdown as people are flouting social distancing norms and huge crowds are gathering outside the liquor shops. Such over-crowding can lead to potential spread of the virus. Further, the petitioner also argued that consumption of alcohol weakens immune system and could make the individuals who consume liquor vulnerable to viruses.
The petitioner said cheap liquor was being sold which can be detrimental to the health of those who consume it and experts should examine the cheap liquor to ascertain the ill-effects it can have on the people.
The petitioner also contended that the complete lockdown was the best period to impose total prohibition. The state counsel said the government was committed to impose total prohibition in Andhra Pradesh and contended that it will do so in a phased manner. Hearing both the arguments, the High Court directed the state government to file a counter-affadavit and posted the next hearing to Friday.
After the AP government reopened sale of liquor, massive crowds turned up at the liquor outlets with queues stretching up to five to six kilometers in some green and orange zones. The crowd completely broke lockdown norms and openly violated social distancing norm. Such was the crowd that the government had to employ teachers to regulate the queues, which was fiercely opposed by TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Recently, Chandrababu Naidu and other senior TDP leaders Bonda Uma, Devineni Uma and Jawahar Reddy opposed liquor sales and raised serious concern over sale of cheap liquor in disregard for the health and well being of people of Andhra Pradesh. The Jagan government was selling liquor at a time Covid-19 was spreading fast in Andhra Pradesh. Naidu slammed the Jagan government easing lockdown restrictions by allowing to liquor sales whil not extending similar relaxations to enable farmers to sell their produce. Allowing liquor sale during the ongoing nationwide lockdown has caused unmanageable over-crowding at liquor stores, making social distancing impossible and defeating the very purpose of a lockdown, Naidu had said.
