Swaraj Abhiyan: Shut liquor vend in Burari area

Swaraj Abhiyan on Sunday held a public hearing against a liquor vend opened at Nathupura in Burari. The government vend was opened with the approval of the local AAP MLA and without any consent from local residents. The liquor shop has become a public nuisance and a catalyst of lawlessness in the area. Snatching, eve-teasing and petty crimes have become daily news in the locality.

When local residents of Burari took up the campaign to get this shop removed, the MLA assured that he would close the theka. When that did not happen, they approached Swaraj Abhiyan and have now requested to take up their campaign more vigorously.

Swaraj Abhiyan district president from Delhi North East informed that the MLA recommended the Excise Commissioner to close the liquor vend under section 25 of the Delhi Excise Rules, 2009, knowing very well that as per section 25, the shop can only be closed for 15 days. As expected, the court ordered reopening of liquor vend within 15 days. The cheating has brought the residents back to square one with no relief.

Rajgiri, a local resident from Pradeep Vihar narrated how the liquor shop had made her life difficult. She said, “This theka is creating nuisance in our daily life. It has become difficult to step out to the market. Even aged women are not safe here. If the government wants to open liquor vends then it should be far from the city. We have our own works to do instead of coming on the road to protest always. Government must get this theka removed.”

Two Class 9 students, Rashmi and Jyoti, shared their agony: “It took a lot of courage for us to come here to share our issue. We have been forced to change our route to tuition because of this vend. We were waiting for someone to raise this issue.”