ID liquor from Odisha state claims lives in AP villages
HRF team members with the family members of the deceased in Saradapuram village on Saturday
Srikakulam: Illicitly distilled liquor (IDL) from neighbouring Odisha state has claimed lives in border villages in AP state in Srikakulam district. IDL is being brewed at Bathupuram, Tikarapadu, Kullada, Tumba villages in Ganjam district in Odisha. The same is being smuggled into nearby villages in AP like Saradapuram, Pottangi, Peddasasanam in Sompeta mandal in Srikakulam district.
The IDL is being carried by the persons through tins and they are reaching border villages on foot. During the previous YSRCP government, prices for liquor were raised exorbitantly resulting in liquor addicted persons depending on cheap IDL from Odisha.
In Odisha, the price for IDL is cheap compared to liquor prices in AP. Each pouch of 200 millilitre of ID liquor costs around Rs 100. As a result of consumption of the IDL which is allegedly spurious, three persons died in a span of 14 days in Saradapuram village in Sompeta mandal.
They were identified as B Papayya, B Dalayya and K Krishna Rao. Their wives Roja, Varalaxmi and Lakshmi recently registered a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Human Rights Forum (HRF) AP state vice -president K V Jagannadha Rao visited the Saradapuram village along with the HRF district secretary Beena Dhilli Rao and executive member S Venkata Rao on Saturday and interacted with the next kin of the deceased as part of fact finding. He demanded both states governments to prevent IDL brewing and smuggling in AP villages.