Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

PMK: liquor consumption in Tamil Nadu alarming

— Photo: S. James

THROWING THE GAUNTLET: Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S. Ramadoss addressing a meeting in the city on Sunday.

MADURAI: Liquor consumption in the State was alarming and the government must take steps in the right direction to save many lives, especially of the youth, said Pattali Makkal Katchi founder president S. Ramadoss here on Sunday.

If the government’s response was not positive, the situation may worsen as more and more youth were taking to drinking, according to reports and study conducted by different agencies, he said.

Addressing the ‘Twenty Third Liquor Abolition Conference’ organised by the Pattali Magalir Sangam (women’s wing of Pattali Makkal Katchi), he said in a resolution that studies and the trend in consumption of liquor in the State showed that within five years, there would not be any youngster who will be a non-drinker in the State. Hence, the government must close all the liquor shops immediately.

Reading out another resolution, he asked the State to provide Rs 3,000 a month for families that lost their bread winner because of alcohol consumption and also take care of the education of their children.

Dr. Ramadoss said the government had a financial goal in mind and to amass revenue it was encouraging people to drink without taking into account the consequences.

He also made a request at the conference: “you can vote for anyone, but fight with us to abolish liquor and make the State liquor free and save the lives of women. There is no room for politics here.”

During the conference, many women, whose individual life and lives of family members were affected due to consumption of alcohol, narrated their tale of woe. Most of them were widows who had lost their husbands at a very young age and sole breadwinner of the family.

Freedom fighter Mayandi Bharathi spoke about his participation in the march against prohibition during the freedom struggle. Representatives from various religions spoke on how their respective religious philosophies stated that consumption of alcohol was against human values.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Saiva Siddhanta training programme
Temple workers to observe fast
Meeting today
Demonstration
Chennai player wins title
PMK: liquor consumption in Tamil Nadu alarming
Water level
The Hindu Young World paining competition
Load shedding will render workers jobless: chamber
House burgled at Goripalayam
Award for best literary work on Gandhian thought given away
In Madurai Today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu