India News | Liquor Shop Shut in Shimla Village After Mass Resignation by Panchayat Members

Shimla, Jul 15 (PTI) Authorities shut a liquor vend in Kheri village of Shimla district on Tuesday, a day after all panchayat office bearers resigned in protest against it.

The shop located in Chevri gram panchayat of Basantpur block was ordered shut by Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh.

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"It came to my notice that all panchayat officers had tendered resignations in protest, so I ordered the closure of the liquor vend. No vend will be opened in the panchayat area," the minister said.

Chevri Panchayat president Chhavinder Singh Pal, in a video, said that the presence of the liquor shop led to all panchayat office bearers, the members of the Mahila Mandal, and Nash Nivaran Samiti resigning en masse on Monday.

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Pal said the vend was opened on May 23 last year, and ever since, had been spoiling the "environment" of the village, with many women not happy with its presence.

It was also alleged that the vend had been opened without a no-objection certificate from the gram Panchayat.

The liquor shop made women feel unsafe in the village, where there is a hydropower project with about 500 migrant workers, who suddenly had easy access to alcohol, it was alleged.

Meanwhile, Anirudh Singh said that proposals for creating 750 new panchayats have been received, but no new panchayat will be created due to a financial crunch.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)