Hooch Tragedy

SAME KATAKA AND SAME HOOCH TRAGEDY !!

Right from the afternoon of February 7th, sobbing of the pain stricken illicit liquor consumer in Vingarpore and Tikilipara villages under Cuttack Sadar Police limits accompanying with the weeping of their family fellows started to wrap the whole attention of the awestruck people and media as well through out the state. Many of the ill-fated consumers have breathed their last and others are critical. Almost all of them were daily wage earner. Doctors in the SCB Medical College and Hospital, attending the victims are mute to predict the conditions. Some are also of the opinion that this could take place as the victims consumed an ayurvedic formulation of ginger, which contained more than sixty percent of alcohol. But the excise commissioner said the man who sold the hooch from his residence was among those killed. As per the opinion of the local police, all those who drank liquor from a particular place complained of nausea and uneasiness in their stomach on Monday evening. They were taken to SCB Medical College and Hospital. SCB Superintendent is also doubtful of the survival chances of the victims, undergoing treatment. It seems to be a repetition of the ghastly hooch tragedy, occurred in the same area during 1990s. Entire country was stunned to come across the terrible queue of illicit liquor consumers in Cuttack city with death warrant. Then also the victims were mostly rickshaw pullers and now in the current calamity, lives are gone of the daily laboureres. Where is the rule of law? What is the guarantee of the poor men’s’ lives? Though it is essential to aware the illiterates and poorer of the intoxication, our government should be very merciless while dealing with the mafias and even the smallest wine vendor in the state. Gujarat may be taken as a model province for ‘total prohibition’. It is not that this could be only possible there as the home state of Gandhiji. Gandhiji is not persuading the Gujarat state government with his physical presence. So also, Gandhiji is the father of the nation. So, we attribute the goodness at Gujarat to the will power and the honesty of the government and the public there. ‘Rama Rajya’ can truly be materialized in body and spirit if we adhere to the roll models, set by selfless socio-political thinkers and saints of India.