‘Defiance, not obedience is the answer of an American to
prohibition’ – wrote a renowned US writer in one of her essays. As a citizen I
am of the view that these lines are applicable to all nations especially
democratic nations. A citizen needs only commonsense that by slapping prohibition
across the nation or any of the states of nation, people who are prone to
liquor consumption do have a penchant to violate the rules and go in pursuit of
illicit liquor which is available from those who indulge in distillation by stealth
across the state or the nation as a whole. As a respected, former judge of High
Court of Kerala observed yesterday, the sale of illicit liquor is likely to
become a cottage industry and in the place of foreign liquor and arrack,
illicit liquor is poised to flow like rivers around the state or nation which
could harm the health of drunkards.
I have seen in Mumbai sale of illicit liquor by those who
live in chawls (chawls are small houses reminding one of matchboxes arranged in
a straight line) where confirmed drunkards frequent on a regular basis without
fearing any law enforcers. Those who can’t afford to visit foreign liquor shops,
they frequent chawls which sell illicit liquor for cheaper rates. The owners of
the chawls don’t have any other ways to earn a living. These people are from
the inner areas of Maharashtra who came in search of jobs years ago and were
appointed as employees of textile mills about two decades ago. These textile
mills had to close down due to labour problems and the labourers were left
with no choice but to sell illicit liquor through their chawls. They are very
well aware of the fact that the thing they sell is very cheap but is poisonous
too adversely affecting the health of the consumers. But with guilty conscience
they serve liquor to the customers frequenting the chawls. In Mumbai and
elsewhere in Maharashtra there exists no prohibition still this is the state of
affairs prevailing there.
With total prohibition coming into effect in our State one
need not have an iota of doubt that spirit from the neighbouring states of
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is certain to flow into Kerala thru borders where
there are no one to check the vehicles carrying large quantities of spirit. The
other day a TV channel brought to everyone’s view an unmanned border in
Karnataka through which anyone can
smuggle spirit, foreign liquor or for that matter any banned substances without
any apprehensions.
With festival season approaching Kerala the flow of spirit,
foreign liquor and pan masala, cannabis(ganja) etc are likely to play a leading
role thereby providing intoxication or inebriation creating waves across the
State.
We did witness a tragedy in Kerala years back, through the
consumption of illicit liquor which claimed the lives of a number of people.
And the culprits are still languishing in prisons.
If and when the prohibition coming into existence on the stipulated
date, our hopes and prayers should always be that such replication of the
tragedy must not visit again the Keralites, the tourists or ordinary mortals.
Sorry I am not optimistic.
Remember the well-known American writer’s words – which I
quoted at the outset of this article.
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