Hyderabad: Locals whine over wine shops in residential areas

Hyderabad: The mushrooming of wine shops in residential areas is leaving the locals red-faced. With the State government failing to take any action to relocate these shops even after an avalanche of requests, a few netizens have taken up the issue on Twitter to vent their ire and even posted videos of drunkards roaming in their colonies.

Locals pointed out that many new wine shops have sprang up in residential areas, especially in Bhoiguda, Begumpet, Dhobi Ghat and Mallapur. Why the State government is quiet and not taking any action to relocate these shops from residential areas? asked many, adding that during nights, the streets abutting these shops become a haven for illegal activities.

"For the last one month, we have been protesting to relocate the liquor shop near Gandhi Hospital. It has become highly unsafe for women and children to walk on the lane due to the presence of drunkards. With this, they are forced stay indoors," said Mahesh, a resident of Jay Durga Towers, New Bhoiguda.

"Tipplers are also blocking the road leading to our society, and some women who return late from work are insecure to use this road. Apart from that, there are no CCTV cameras installed in the lane. Besides, the young girls are falling prey to eve-teasing. Despite several requests to the authorities concerned, no iota of action has been taken to address the issue," said another local of New Bhoiguda.

"Gurumurthy Colony in Begumpet was one of the peaceful colonies in city. But recently, a wine shop has come up in the area, which has of late became a haven the anti-social activities. Further, with the drunkards parking their vehicles on the side of the colony roads and entrance, the residents are finding it hard to enter the colony. Many representations were submitted to the officials concerned to relocate the shop, but of no use," said Shiva Ramakrishna, a resident of Gurumurthy Colony, Begumpet.