The Adivasi community of Assam have formed Udalguri district Kurmi Mahila Samiti in its maiden effort is attempting to bring down alcoholism in the gardens and detoxify their lives.
The Udalguri district committee, Kurmi Mahila Samiti organized an awareness programme on the rising culture of alcoholism at Beluguri village under Orang PS in Udalguri on Sunday.
The meet chaired by its President, Sarla Mahato was attended by women of 15 village committees of the organization. The women joined hands in unison and called for curbing alcohol consumption which is the reason behind rising social crimes.
The women pleaded to publicly impose fine on people consuming alcohol. The Beluguri village witnessed the gruesome murder of one Maniram Gour after a group of drunk people got in a fight over petty issues on May 10 last.
The awareness meet was also addressed by Orang PS, OC Gagan Chandra Deka, Assam Kurmi Samaj, Secretary and Advisor Hemanta Mahato, Nimai Mahato and activists of Orang ATTSA.
The speakers alleged that the Udalguri Excise department has allegedly been collecting money from the dens selling country liquor in every nook and corner of the district. The speakers exhorted the concerned department to carry out drives to evict such dens at the earliest.
The speakers exhorted the concerned department to carry out drives to evict such dens at the earliest.
The unhygienic living conditions in their well-demarcated colonies within the tea estates (labour lines), poor socio-economic status, and a very obvious lack of awareness lead to high levels of malnutrition among their children,and an almost universal prevalence of anemia in women, apart from a host of other health complications such as tuberculosis, gastroenteritis, diarrhoea and typhoid. A high rate of alcohol consumption only adds to their long list of woes.