:dateline:Around 58 village Panchayats in Punjab have passed resolutions seeking closure of liquor vends in their villages. The copies of these resolutions have been sent to the Excise and Taxation Department of Punjab seeking immediate closure of liquor vends.
It is noteworthy here that the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, empowers a panchayat to pass a resolution to demand closure of liquor vends in its area on the condition that village should not have seen liquor seizure in the past two years.
Among these 58 village panchayats, 16 village panchayats belong to Sangrur district and 8 panchayats belong to Patiala district.
Dr. A S Mann, who heads the Scientific Awareness and Social Welfare Forum, the number of resolutions has been declining every year owing to the discouraging attitude of police and excise officials. �In 2017-18, the count of such panchayats was 86 while this count was 92 in 2016-17,� he added.
Jaswinder Kaur, sarpanch of Nagla village, complained: �We passed a resolution, but officials say there are two FIRs against locals regarding liquor seizure. The fact is an FIR was registered against a resident of Khokhar village, while another pertains to recovery of liquor from Haryana.�
?REHITVAAN PUNJ PYARE Khandey Batey Ki Pahul Jal peelo Sikho?kirpa Guru Gobind Singh Pita Maharaj Jio?