Cheers
My recent friend M r Y asir MB shared an article: “ P unjab villages say no to booze, will move HC ” by N eel K amal & P arvesh S harma ( 9 F eb, 2011, TOI ), according to which hundreds of villages in P unjab's S angrur and P atiala districts are bracing for a legal battle with the state's excise department over proliferating booze trade. The panchayats in the area, where alcoholism touches nearly 60% of male population don't want liquor vends and plan to go to court to get rid of those booz vends. The unusual news prompted me to assess the scenario vis-à-vis liquor trade in our islands. Universally, alcoholism is considered the greatest threat to intellectual development and societal well being of a country. WHO estimates every year about 2.5 million people die from alcohol-related diseases the world over, accounting for 3.8 per cent of total deaths. Binge drinkers are prone to strokes, brain haemorrhage and a variety of psychiatric symptoms. Acoholism damages ...