BARETH (RUDRAPRAYAG): "We protested over nine days and stayed up five nights to prevent construction of a liquor outlet in our village," Vijay Laxmi, an all-woman group's president in Bareth, said.
The women of Bareth village - a hamlet perched 4,000 feet above sea level - usually restrict their daily activities to plucking leaves, collecting wood, cooking food and feeding domestic animals. But when district authorities decided to open a liquor vend in the hamlet, a group of 250-odd women went up in arms to safeguard their domicile finances.
Kamla Devi pointed out that agriculture and working in the nearby Kedar Valley during the char-dham season were the two main sources of earning for the Bareth men. Devi felt that the local hooch would "draw" the minors as well. Plus, she felt, the village men would "waste all the money on liquor."
The protesters camped on the main road (Guptkashi-Mayali route) leading to the village and blocked it from both sides. No vehicles were permitted to ply on the route .
On April 12, the local officials eventually yielded to their demand.
The district excise officer Raje Singh confirmed that they were now looking for an alternate location.
Most villages in this region have a women's empowerment unit called the Mahila Mangal Dal (MMD). Laxmi, the MMD president, told TOI that they had initially asked the local authorities to set up the hooch in another location. But their plea failed to elicit the desired result.
The women of Bareth village - a hamlet perched 4,000 feet above sea level - usually restrict their daily activities to plucking leaves, collecting wood, cooking food and feeding domestic animals. But when district authorities decided to open a liquor vend in the hamlet, a group of 250-odd women went up in arms to safeguard their domicile finances.
Kamla Devi pointed out that agriculture and working in the nearby Kedar Valley during the char-dham season were the two main sources of earning for the Bareth men. Devi felt that the local hooch would "draw" the minors as well. Plus, she felt, the village men would "waste all the money on liquor."
The protesters camped on the main road (Guptkashi-Mayali route) leading to the village and blocked it from both sides. No vehicles were permitted to ply on the route .
On April 12, the local officials eventually yielded to their demand.
The district excise officer Raje Singh confirmed that they were now looking for an alternate location.
Most villages in this region have a women's empowerment unit called the Mahila Mangal Dal (MMD). Laxmi, the MMD president, told TOI that they had initially asked the local authorities to set up the hooch in another location. But their plea failed to elicit the desired result.
TOI
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