VALPOI: Surla villagers on Sunday called upon the government to come out with a notification to close all bars in the village permanently, failing which, they threatened to launch a ‘door lock movement’ by blocking the highway from August 22 onwards till their demand is met.
Surla Nagrik Kruti Samiti and Alcohol Free Surla Village held a Jahir Sabha and organised a huge rally of around 400 villagers, which started from state highway and culminated near the village temple.
It is learnt that some bar owners have decided to reopen their bars on August 21. The locals claimed that the villagers of Chorla, Paroda, Kankumbi and others have lent their support to the ‘door lock’ movement.
The villagers alleged that despite the month-long liquor ban in Surla (from July 20 to August 20), all eight liquor bar owners have been illegally selling alcohol meant for sale in Goa in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The locals further claimed that these bar owners have been supplying local-made alcohol to neighbouring states for the past many years.
“We want freedom from alcohol. We want the government to close liquor outlets in Surla permanently, demanded Ganu Gaonkar, Surla Nagrik Kruti Samiti president.
“The bar owners have been threatening our village women not to raise their voice against the liquor outlets, complained Poonam Gaonkar, a local.
“We will not allow bar owners to restart liquor bars on August 21. If government allows the liquor outlets to operate on August 21 then we will launch a mass movement from August 22 onwards till our demand is met. We will lock our houses and block the state highway along with our families. Now we demand a permanent ban on liquor outlets,” demanded Santosh Gaonkar, another local.
“Following the month-long ban, not a single accident has taken place in the village,” informed Deepak Gaonkar, a villager.
“Now, it’s time for the Government to take a final call on closing the liquor outlets operating in the village permanently and if the Government fails to do so then we will continue to fight with more aggression, warned Suryakant Gaonkar, Surla deputy sarpanch.
