Baramulla, May 10: The residents of Uri on Wednesday held a protest against the opening of a wine shop in the Lagama area of the subdivision in this north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
The protesters expressed their strong resentment against the government’s move of opening up the wine shop. They urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to take up the issue seriously.
The protesters argued that the opening of the wine shop would destroy their young generation and ruin the career prospects of their youth.
President of Traders Federation Uri, Haji Mohammed Shafi, said it contradicts the government’s efforts towards a drug-free India. “On one hand, the government puts a lot of effort into a drug-free India, while on the other side; they are opening wine shops here.”
Haji Shafi appealed to the government to deny the sanction and license for such a shop in the area. “The youth in Kashmir are already susceptible to drug abuse and this move would only aggravate the problem,” he added.
The government must instead prioritize job creation for unemployed youth rather than promoting the sale of alcohol, said Sumit Kumar Raina, a resident of Lagama, Uri.
Holding placards and banners, Raina questioned the government’s stance on drug abuse. “By opening a wine shop in Lagama, isn’t the government promoting drugs?” he asked.
The protesters, later on, submitted a memorandum to the SDM and SDPO Uri and called off the protest peacefully. They, however, warned of intensifying the protests if the idea of opening the wine shop is not dropped.
