Kirana shops turn liquor outlets in Telangana\'s villages

HYDERABAD: Illegal liquor sale is allegedly rampant in small-time general stores in villages abutting Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) as kirana shop owners, in their attempt to make some fast buck, are supplying a pint or two on the sly.

Hoodwinking the prohibition and excise officials, liquor outlet owners are said to be aggressively expanding their unauthorised sale in connivance with non-distinct kirana shop owners. “This provides easy access to villagers to liquor and ruins their lives,” alleged Vithal Reddy, a native of Shankarpalli.

Interestingly, farm labourers are demanding a quarter bottle of whisky to come to work in agriculture fields apart from their daily wage.

“Already daily wage of labourers has gone up due to alternative opportunities like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREGA). If you want to hire an agricultural worker, you have to shell out Rs 400 as wage and in addition, a quarter bottle of whisky,” he said.

In Chevella constituency, about 200 villages in four mandals have about 25 wine shops. But they allegedly set up more than 700 belt shops.

Anantamma, a resident of Manchirevula village who works in a farmhouse in Vikarabad said due to liquor availability in the village kirana shops, even children as young as 13, or 14 years were getting addicted to it. This addiction was driving them to commit crimes, she feared.