Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Hooch tragedy

It is unfortunate that the hooch tragedy in the border districts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu that claimed 92 lives occurred in the States where there is a ban on arrack production and sale. Unmistakably, the enforcement of prohibition was ineffective. The allegation of complicity of police and excise officials in the production and sale of illicit liquor adds to the magnitude of the tragedy.

Deaths due to consumption of illicit liquor are not infrequent. They make headlines only when the number of deaths is noticeably high. Drinking alcohol is common among daily wage earners. Without awareness programmes that are substantial, they are unlikely to quit the habit.

B. Jayanna Krupakar,

Surathkal

The editorial “From slow poison to instant killer” (May 20) is right in stating that “prohibition almost never works, and liquor remains one of the top revenue-earners for the State governments.” But is it not paradoxical for the States to depend on such a source for earnings? Liquor not only affects the health of people but also breeds crime and social disorder.

The hooch tragedy reminds one of the sacred verse “beejay bikh, maangey amrit, dekho kaisa vadan” (it is strange to expect a yield of nectar after sowing poison).

Balvinder Singh,

Chandigarh

Deaths due to the consumption of illicit liquor are on the increase. It is always those belonging to the poor, working class who become victims of such tragedies. The only way to save the hapless people from instant death is to make bootlegging a non-profitable vocation. It is for the administration to figure out how.

Col. C.V. Venugopalan (retd.),

Palakkad

The tragedy shows that the poor are vulnerable and go for anything that is available cheap, spurious or not. The Karnataka government was unwise in stopping the sale of arrack produced in its own sugar factories like Mandya. It used to cost only Rs.10 a sachet. I think the hooch tragedy is a lesson for all the States. To prevent spurious and dangerous stuff from being consumed, safe arrack should be sold by government agencies now that total prohibition is ruled out.

V.G. Ravi,

Chennai

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