Liquor Shop Opens in the Morning, Shuts down in Hours!
Puttur: In a case of rare show of solidarity, the people of a small village in the taluk, located on the boundary between Karnataka and Kerala, ensured the closure of a liquor shop within hours of its opening without proper authorization.
Nettanige Mudnur is the grey area between the two states. When Kerala was dry, the liquor shops in peripheral villages around Ishwaramangala and Galimukha made roaring business. Liquor from Dakshina Kannada was rampantly smuggled into Kasaragod by all possible means of transport.
An excise contractor had recently obtained a licence to run a liquor shop in Panjodi. But the shop, instead, was set up in Oniyadka, where a Dalit colony is situated. The poor Dalits were the targeted prospects for the contractor.
Besides, a high school, a mosque and a bus stand are also very close to it, by the side of the road linking Ishwaramangala and Pallattur.
In spite of opposition from panchayat members and organizations, all preparations went on to open the shop on Thursday, even without any approval from the panchayat. When the public came to know about it, they warned the excise department of dire consequences.
Fearing public ire, the excise personnel arrived and locked the shop under their seal. People power finally triumphed so that there could be peace in the village.
