JOIN USHyd vet rape case: Residents ask to shut liquor shops
Residents in the Shamshabad area, where a 26-year old veterinarian was brutally gang-raped and murdered, are demanding the closure of a wine shop in the vicinity, which they alleged led to the area becoming unsafe, according to a report by Deccan Chronicle.
A new liquor policy has permitted, five liquor shops to operate in a two kilometer radius of the Tondupally plaza in Shamshabad, where the veterinarian was raped and murdered on November 28 by four men, who have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody. "The new liquor policy allows them to be open till 11 pm in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits. There are at least five liquor shops within a radial distance of 2 km from Tondupally toll gate, where the rapists consumed liquor. Stop liquor shops. Single biggest factor that makes localities unsafe," D Bhardwaj, a resident of the area told the publication.
As per new liquor policy guidelines, a cluster system allows the wine shop owners to open upto 18 wine shops in a bounded area.
"The area has been attracting commuters who stop and consume alcohol because there is sufficient parking place. We are living in constant panic and request authorities to take serious note of the issue to protect residents, especially women (sic)," K Kalavathi, another resident of the area, said.
Telangana Wine Dealers Association President D Venkateshwara Rao conveyed that the previous liquor policy allowed them to have a maximum of four shops in each ward. He said, "The government has merged eight wards and made it a cluster and allowed wine shop owners to set up 18 liquor shops in any location within the cluster."