EDITORIAL: ANIIDCO's Miscalculated Step

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | VOL 35 | ISSUE 15 | 7 OCT 2011

EDITORIAL:

ANIIDCO's Miscalculated Step

The ANI Admn is referred to as an alcoholic-friendly administration. With bars at every nook and corner, the rising crimes pertaining to alcoholism does not trouble the administrator or the administration. Why the authorities turn a blind eye towards the root cause is a major concern.

ANI registers perhaps the highest per capita consumption of liquor. ANIIDCO sells liquor worth Rs 80 crores. Out of the defence quota, more than a lakh litre slips into the market. The consumption is on a steep rise. The effects are nakedly visible. The scourge of addiction is eating into the vitals of the entire Island society right from Campbell Bay to Aerial Bay.

At this juncture, it's shocking to learn that there is a proposal to open a wine shop in Bambooflat by ANIIDCO. When the general public is crushed under the weight of price rise, ignoring its own principle of stabilizing the market and providing essential commodities to people at reasonable prices, the board of ANIIDCO thought otherwise and closed its chain of green shops, which were supplying vegetables. And now, how the wine shop is going to help the rural populace is anybody's guess. ANIIDCO has already lost its human face by closing the green shops and opening up new wine shops.

The role of the elected PRI members of Bambooflat Panchayat, who wrote to the administration demanding a wine shop in their locality, is condemnable. The PRIs who have a pro-active role in the growth and development of the villages need to reset their priorities.

However, the logic that there is a demand for a wine shop from the PRIs is highly outrageous as on the other hand the Vice President of BJP has openly demanded the Administration to reopen the green shops. Why the demand is not met? Why the haste in opening wine shop? What happened to corporate social responsibility of the "only" commercial arm of the Administration?

There is open resentment among the general public residing in the surrounding villages against the move of the administration. It's a misconstrued step that ANIIDCO has taken. The decision needs to be revised or there will be serious backlash on the ground.