Asem Mohiuddin Wine Traders
50 year old Dinesh Singh is unmoved and lying on bed for last ten years. He suffered spinal injury in an accident at Lakhanpur in 2009 and doctors failed to treat his injury. Despite being bedridden, his family is moving on, thanks to the liquor license he had obtained to enter into the trade several decades ago. But now the uncertainty is prevailing over the future of his business and the family is going through immense stress.
“What will happen now to us, if the new excise policy of 2021-22 is implemented,” the family questions to this reporter.
Since the wine trade was fetching a dignified amount to the family and fulfilling all their needs, they have not diversified their businesses.
“We have no other source of income. This business is not only fulfilling our family needs, it also fetches me a good amount required for routine medicines,” Singh adds.
Recently, the government in Union Territory introduced a Draft Excise policy 2021-22 according to which it is mulling to e-auction the vends. The existing wine vendors fear that only the rich people can afford to win the bids and will leave the existing license holders jobless.
Singh does not alone fear the lost of livelihood. According to Jammu Wine Traders Association if the government is not withdrawing the new Excise policy as many as 30000 families may go on starvation directly or indirectly depending on the trade.
In the erstwhile state, Jammu and Kashmir government had issued 223 liquor license with 2 in Ladakh and 4 in Kashmir province generating annual revenue of Rs 1400 crores.
“The draft was posted on official website at midnight on March 9 and next morning the concerned department convened a meeting of stakeholders to understand their viewpoint,” says Charanjeet Singh, the spokesman of Jammu wine traders association.
Singh, however, seems aghast and claims that the meeting was held under consistent fear and no one could speak out from their side.
“Alongside the wine traders, the authorities had also convened the meeting of prospective bidders. Some among them are known for muscle power and no one among us could give our viewpoint.”
The clauses incorporated in the new policy have left the wine traders in Jammu shocked. They believe the policy is entirely anti people and have chances to encourage crimes.
Earlier, the government wanted to have the provisions for establishing Ahatas alongside the wine shop for people to drink wine.
“We had opposed it and the move was shelved,” adds Charanjit Singh.
“But this government has yet again proposed the Ahatas and if established, the crimes will substantially grow.”
According to traders, the Jammu and Kashmir government is adopting the flop policy of Punjab state when the later is itself adopting the existing excise policy of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ahatas are the hotbed of crimes and quarrels, says a wine trader. 14173 FIR’s have been registered in just 7 months of 2020, in Punjab Ahatas after people fought there, reveals the official records of Punjab government. 11953 FIRs have been lodged during the year of 2019.
The new policy, traders claim that is pro capitalist and have minimum scope for those who doesn’t have good money to compete in the bidding.
The interesting part of the new policy is that, Charanjeet says, government wants to bring transparency in the system. “My question is how this existing policy is not transparent. All those who acquired the licenses have gone through the proper channel. But if they find anything suspicious on individual basis the cases can be reviewed. What was the need to snatch the livelihood from the existing wine traders and encourage the capitalists to take over the trade?”
The government claims that the bids can be accepted from only local domiciles. However, the wine traders contest the move and say that it is not a big deal anymore to acquire the local domiciles for anyone.
“The way the government has set the norms for acquiring the domicile in Jammu and Kashmir, anyone can get it,” said Ajay Sharma, a wine trader.
In the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, the government had sought the written affidavit from the dealers for not demanding any government job after obtaining the liquor license.
The move was aimed to reduce the unemployment and so many lawyers, engineers and other professionals gave up their jobs and decided to continue with liquor trade.
“I am professionally an engineer. When government asked us to choose only one option, I decided to give up my job and continue with the liquor trade,” says Dinesh.
“Where should we go now at this point of time? Can we start our career fresh when most of the traders have already crossed the age limit and have large families to feed,” questions Sharma.
Urging authorities to revisit its policy, the traders demand that all those vendors who have single license shall be allowed to continue the trade.
The government is also ignoring the previous order of 2017 by the then Finance minister in which the licenses were extended for 5 years and are due to expire in 2023.
The order was passed after the traders claimed that the annual renewal of license was encouraging corruption and bringing uncertainty in the trade practices.
The traders have been protesting in Jammu since one week with no concrete assurances from the government.
