Liquor: The devil of death endangering society

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Unregulated liquor sale in Guwahati, Assam has led to various anti-social activities apart from several tragic incidents and road mishaps involving youngsters. It is high time to take up concrete steps to minimise this menace of alcohol.

CJ: Asif Ibrahim

Tue, Feb 09, 2010 10:19:47 IST

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Assam News :

THE SHOCKING incident of two school kids from Guwahati drowning in River Brahmaputra while picnicking of course with a binge of liquor should definitely be a an eye-opener on the on-goings in the society in this capital city of Assam.

The tragic tale unfolded in a very freakish manner. Seven young boys - barely in their teens, all studying in ninth standard of a Guwahati school duped their parents on the pretext of some group project assigned by the school. But they had some other plans. Together they went to a secluded place on the banks of Brahmaputra and indulged in drinking liquor. As fate would have been, one of them slipped into the river. Another plunged into the waters with an intention to save his friend irrespective of the fact that he did not know swimming. Both of them were immediately swept away by the strong undercurrent of the mighty Brahmaputra with the others haplessly watching from the bank. The accident could have been averted, but liquor turned fatal for these kids bringing untold misery for their parents.

The incident that sent shock waves simmering in all circles has also raised several pertinent questions.

Guwahati, the gateway of Northeast India has witnessed a mushroom growth of wine shops over the past few years. These wine shops can be seen in plenty not only in main thoroughfares, but also in shabby by-lanes and residential areas of the city. And the same is doing a flourishing business flouting all norms; thanks to the indifferent attitude of both the administration and the excise department.

People of all ages, including school children or young girls can very easily procure a bottle of liquor with comfortable ease. This has given rise to various anti-social activities, let alone couple of tragic incidents in recent past. Without any restrictions and strict guidelines issued by either the administration or the excise department, liquor has become easily accessible for all - school children buying liquor bottles is a common sight in Guwahati these days. These liquor shops and bars are operating in sheer violation of rules and regulations in the absence of watchful eyes of the concerned authorities. Such callousness on the part of the concerned authorities have drawn flak from many quarters time and again. But no concrete steps have been initiated to stop this menace.

The indifferent attitude on the part of the police or administration has also led to youngsters including school children indulging in various anti-social activities under the influence of alcohol. Looking into the gravity of this situation, the issue needs serious introspection before it is too late. Otherwise there is every possibility that incidents like the one on Sunday (February 7), where two school boys were swept away by the strong currents of mighty Brahmaputra will keep on recurring.

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Posted comments (2)

	Guardians have a very big role to prevent occurance of such tragic incidents. Instead of blaming each other, they should think harder as to why they did not realise that their wards took to liquor under their nose. This school was recently in the news when a girl student attempted suicide after being insulted by a school teacher for speaking Assamese. And yet, they allowed their school children to go to such depth as drinking liquor. Why should the guardians not rise to the occasion and see if these so called elite schoo;s (they are mushrooming and are money spinning organisation) are actually developing character in their children or are simply supplying school certificates with handsome marks sans ethical values. Is it worth spending such big amount for such education in such schools?
	\| 13 February 2010 Reply to Comment \| New Comment \| Report Abuse

	Liquor addiction helpline to come up in big numbers wherever they are sold and consumed in large numbers; currently,I am not aware of any such helpline existing in the vicinity of shops selling liquor. Such helplines can do wonders,if approached upon, in mitigating the problem faced by an addict for liquor. Government must encourage setting upof such helplines, free of cost, in big numbers, throughout the country. The society instead of blaming an addictedperson for liquor and shunning him as an outcast, can do well to help him to the maximum, through helplines, for getting reformed in the best possible way.
	\| 10 February 2010 Reply to Comment \| New Comment \| Report Abuse