Residents protest Wine Shops in Mumbai
India is a complex country with often competing interests that clash with one another. A recent example of this is the case of the Kharghar wine shop in Mumbai. Residents of the neighborhood are protesting its opening as they are against the availability of liquor in the educational hub.
Banners denouncing the sale of alcohol have been put up and local authorities have been urged to maintain the "no alcohol" status of the area. Residents had believed that Kharghar was a dry zone because there are several educational institutes in the area. However, the opening of the Shyam Wine Shop has proved this wrong.
City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (Cidco) authorities said that as long as the wine shop was in a commercial zone there was nothing wrong. The police added that they cannot do anything as long as the wine shop is not within 500 meters of an educational institution or a place of worship.
Note, wine shops in India sell all kinds of liquor and often the number of wine bottles actually sold is very small. What do you think? Are the residents correct in protesting the opening?
Comments
We (consumers, businessmen and the government) should act like grown ups and follow the Indian Constitution that allows for sale, consumption and protection of the trade.
I think what's generally missing in India (but decreasingly so) is simple awareness (with which comes acceptance) of alcoholic beverages as a normal and healthy part of living. After all, they are perfectly enjoyable within limits.
You are absolutely right. The problem is not with alcohol availability itself but with certain consumption patterns. Trying to limit the availability of alcohol will not necessarily change an alcoholic. Rather focusing on awareness and education about drinking in moderation will do much more good.