Gadchiroli Villagers Impose ₹20,000 Fine On Booze Sellers, ₹1,000 On Wife Beaters, Fines Collected To Fund Village Development Nagpur: In Bamanpalli, a remote tribal village in Maharashtra’s Bhamragarh taluka, residents have taken decisive action to ban alcohol, imposing fines on sellers and perpetrators of domestic violence. The village, located near the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, has long struggled with the social and economic fallout of liquor abuse, including frequent brawls, domestic violence, and poverty that has hindered children’s education and health. The decision to enforce a liquor ban came after years of turmoil, including guerrilla threats and security operations, which left the community in a state of fear. Now, the villagers aim to rebuild by creating a liquor-free zone and using the fines collected to fund development projects. The village’s gram sabha, a gathering of all adult residents, voted to implement the ban, establishing a local committee to enforce the rules. Under the new policy, anyone caught selling alcohol faces a fine of ₹20,000, while individuals involved in wife-beating or violent incidents under the influence of liquor must pay ₹1,000. Those who support or protect bootleggers will be fined ₹2,000. Incentives are also in place: informants who report liquor sales receive ₹5,000, with the proceeds allocated to repair schools, improve healthcare facilities, repair roads, and enhance village infrastructure. Local farmer Sadashiv Nilam emphasized the urgency of the ban, stating that alcohol had eroded the community’s stability. “Breadwinners are wasting their savings on booze. Fights break out at night, families fall apart, and trust is the biggest casualty,” he said.#maharashtra #bhamragarh_taluka #bamanpalli #sadashiv_nilam #subham_shinde
