The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Anantapur News : New excise policy renders 1,200 tappers jobless

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 14, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur

New excise policy renders 1,200 tappers jobless

By B. Chandrashekhar

ANANTAPUR, OCT. 13 . The new excise (toddy) policy guidelines being implemented from October 1, restricting the sale of toddy within 50 km of the palm/date groves from where the toddy is tapped, have virtually thrown more than 1,200 toddy-tappers, working for 13 Hyderabad-based societies who have groves in Anantapur district, on to the roads.

The toddy-tappers who lost their employment due to the GO No. 767 dated September 29, 2004 are on an indefinite agitation from October 8 here under the aegis of the Andhra Pradesh Kallu Geetha Karmika Sangham, demanding withdrawal of the GO or show alternative sources of livelihood to them. In the absence of any substitute employment the families of toddy tappers are on the verge of losing food security.

No wages

As such, the tappers working for the Hyderabad-based Toddy-Tappers Cooperative Societies (TCS) have not been paid wages for the last four months. "The kirana shop owners have already stopped giving commodities on credit making the situation more difficult for us,'' Ramanjaneyulu, a toddy-tapper of Kaluvapalli village said.

Though there are 69 TCSs and 450 TFTs (Tree for Tapper) functioning in the district according to the excise officials, only the Hyderabad-based and a few other TCSs are feasible. "The survival of TFTs, where two tappers each will be allotted some trees, has become difficult with the availability of cheap liquor smuggled from Karnataka and illicit arrack brewed illegally within the district at a lesser price than toddy. There are no takers for toddy in villages now,'' honorary district president of APKGKS, Narasimhulu, explained.

Worried lot

As the restriction of allowing sale of toddy within 50 km of tapping area is a one-sided decision by the Government, the tappers are a worried lot now, he said. As such there have been no welfare schemes for tappers working in groves. The coverage of toddy-tappers under regular welfare schemes is also near nothing, Mr. Narasimhulu noted.

As a result, a majority of toddy-tappers by profession have turned to the TCSs for employment as most of the TCSs are selling the toddy in urban areas. "I have stopped tapping toddy and selling on my own about eight years back, as there is no demand in the village,'' Yerriswamy of Beluguppa, who is now working for a Hyderabad-based TCS, said.

According to the excise officials, the department is getting about 50 per cent of revenue in the form of rentals for trees from Anantapur district alone. The APKGKS claims that about 5,000 more persons were employed in toddy shops running in Hyderabad with the toddy taken from Anantapur.

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