The Hindu : Karnataka / Gulbarga News : DSS seeks ban on sale of arrack across the State

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 30, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Gulbarga

DSS seeks ban on sale of arrack across the State

Special Correspondent

Protest planned in all districts and taluk headquarters on July 11

GULBARGA: The Dalit Sangharsh Samithi (Sagar) on Wednesday demanded that the State Government impose a Statewide ban on the sale of arrack in view of the recurring incidents of deaths due to the consumption of spurious arrack sold in government-approved retail outlets in the State.

Addressing a press conference here, the State convener of the DSS, D.G. Sagar; the State organising convener, Malleshi Sajjan; the district convener, Arjun Bhadre; and the organising convener, Suresh Hadimani, condemned the statement made by the Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, who also holds the Excise portfolio, that the State Government would increase the number of arrack outlets in the State based on the growth of the population.

Mr. Sagar said that it was unfortunate that the State Government had not taken into account the recent spate of deaths owing to consumption of arrack sold from government approved outlets in the State.

He said that these incidents should have come as a warning to the Government and forced it to impose a ban on the sale of arrack. However, the Government is now planning to give permission to open more arrack outlets.

Protesting the indifferent attitude of the State Government and also demanding a total ban on the sale of arrack in the State, the DSS will organise protest demonstration and processions in all the district and taluk headquarters on July 11 and submit memorandums addressed to the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh.

Awareness campaign

The organisation also plans to launch an awareness campaign in the State for three months, starting from August to create awareness and press for the total ban on the sale of arrack.

Mr. Sagar said that the DSS was in favour of introduction of English as a compulsory subject from first standard in the government schools along with Kannada.

This would provide an opportunity for the students hailing from poorer sections of the society and those coming from the rural areas to learn English.

The opposition to the introduction of English as a subject from the first standard in the government schools by so called pro-Kannada activists is meaningless and the Government should not give a heed to their protests and go ahead with its decision to introduce English as a compulsory subject from the first standard, he said.

Improve hostels

The State Government should also concede another long pending demand for constituting a separate directorate for the hostels in the State and bringing the maintenance of all the hostels under its purview, he said.

The Government should take immediate measures to improve the condition of the existing hostels, he said.

The students housed in these hostels should be provided better food and the scholarship due to them should be released immediately.

The officials posted in the Social Welfare Department on deputation should be sent back to their parent department and the officials of the Social Welfare Department should be posted in their places, he added.

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