Swiss researcher to study anti-liquor movement

PATIALA: While panchayats fighting for closure of liquor vends in their respective villages have not received any help from Punjab government so far, an economist from Switzerland has offered to conduct a study on these villages to scientifically prove the magnitude of development-related benefits from closing alcohol shops

The study will help these villages prove the benefits of closing liquor vends. In an email sent to People for Transparency (PFT), an NGO, which along with other NGOs has been spreading awareness among village panchayats about their right to close liquor vends, Devesh Rustagi, an economist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, has shown interest to conduct a study on "Economic impacts of alcohol ban on human development" in these villages.

"We hope the study after completion will help understand the economic benefits of closing liquor shops and economic losses villagers suffer due to easy availability of liquor," said Kamal Anand from PFT. Though the exact details of the proposed study are not known so far, Rustagi in an email to TOI disclosed that he has plans to visit almost all villages which passed anti-liquor resolutions. He will interact with residents and also compile data on the enrollment of children in schools in these villages to differentiate between liquor-free and other villages.

Panchayats have powers to close liquor vends in their villages by passing resolutions under Section 40 of the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act. However, the Act mandates that there should be no case of liquor seizure in the village during the two years from the date of the resolution. Panchayat representatives claim that police officers in alleged connivance with liquor mafia have been registering liquor cases in these villages against outsiders to show recovery of liquor so that anti-liquor resolutions could be cancelled.

This year out of total 89 anti-liquor resolutions passed by various panchayats of Punjab this year, excise department accepted only 30. In 2009, 45 panchayats had passed resolutions and authorities accepted 23. In 2010 the number went up to 72 and 42 villages got rid of liquor shops while in 2011 around 69 villages have passed resolutions. "My study would be useful in showing scientifically the magnitude of development- related benefits from closing alcohol shops," said Rustagi