Rajasthan village votes overwhelmingly to shut only liquor shop

Jaipur: A village in Rajsthan's Rajsamand district has overwhelmingly voted to shut down the only liquor shop in it.

The vote was carried out under the Rajasthan Excise Rules, which empowers a panchayat to opt for closing a liquor shop if 50 per cent of its residents vote for it. Over 90 per cent villagers Tuesday voted in favour of shutting down the liquor shop.

"Of the 2,039 votes polled in Kachchbali gram panchayat, 1,937 were in favour of the resolution moved by a group of women led by Sarpanch Geeta Devi," SDM (Bhim) Narendra Kumar Jain, who presided over the voting, said today.

"A report has been submitted to the District Collector and it will be forwarded to the Excise department for necessary action," he said.

As per the state excise policy, if 20 per cent voters demand closure of a liquor shop in their area, the demand is verified at an appropriate level and the proposal put to vote.

If there are 51 per cent votes in favour of the resolution, a provision will be made for the closure of the shop from the next financial year.