Leaders visit hooch victims' kin

The leader visited various villages in Shidlaghatta taluk and met and consoled the families of the hooch tragedy victims on Saturday.

The sale of spurious liquor is an excellent example of how the Excise officials have failed to stop the manufacture and sale of liquor in the district. And to make matters worse, the Excise minister was hesitating to release compensation to the families of the victims who had lost their lives in the hooch tragedy. This matter will be raised in the Legislative Council, Motamma said.

She further criticised the State government, alleging that the BJP government had failed to ensure fair and smooth Gram Panchayat elections in the State. Several irregularities have been reported in the recently concluded GP polls. The State government is directly responsible for this hooch tragedy. It should immediately take steps to provide suitable compensation to the victims.

Union Minister for Railways K H Muniyappa, who had accompanied the Opposition leader, said this was for the first time, such a tragedy had taken place in the taluk. This was a very serious matter and the culprits behind this incident should be punished, he added.

MLA V Muniyappa also expressed his concern over the incident and expressed that the poor and the innocent often became victims in such tragedies.

The leaders visited thirteen families whose members died in the hooch tragedy, hailing from Baiyyappanahalli, Chikkadibburahalli of Dibburahalli taluk panchayat and Halehalli and Varasandra in E Thimmasandra taluk panchayat. A compensation of Rs 5,000 was handed over to the families.