Grama Sabhas Set to Decide Liquor Shops in ASR District

Visakhapatnam: Grama Sabhas under the PESA Act would be held all over the ASR district on Wednesday for establishment of liquor shops for which draw of lots was conducted on Monday.

``We will conduct grama sabha under PESA Act in places where these 40shops will be located. Though prior approval was needed for the draw of lots, we went by the notification issued by the State government. Anyway, we gave the license to Adivasis only. Though some non-tribals bid for the license, we did not give them,’’ ASR district collector AS Dinesh Kumar told this correspondent on Tuesday.

He said under the PESA Act, the tribe can brew their liquor but they cannot sell them.

But the Adivasi leaders were demanding the cancellation of allotment and conducting a draw of lots afresh after conducting grama sabhas.

``There is a law which none could ignore under any circumstances,’’ said former deputy chief minister Peedika Rajanna Dora and a senior YSRC leader.

Echoing the same, Paderu MLA belonging to YSRC Matyarasa Visweswara Raju said PESA and Fifth schedule tenets mandate approval from Grama Sabhas for initiating the process of establishing wine shops in the agency.

State president of joint action committee representing Adivasi unions Modiyam Srinivasa Rao said the notification issued by the State government was for plain areas.

``There should be a separate notification for the places under Fifth Schedule which mentions approval by grama sabhas,’’ Srinivasa Rao said, indicating that the JAC might challenge the issue of notification in the high court.

Parvathipuram Manyam district collector A Shyam Prasad said grama sabhas would be conducted for three shops in Seethampeta and two in GL Puram on Wednesday which come under Fifth Schedule.

``We did not receive any objections for not conducting prior grama sabhas as we have given to local tribals only,’’ the collector said.