Malkajgiri toddy shop shut down after TOI report

HYDERABAD: Days after local residents of BJR Nagar in Malkajgiri protested after a closed toddy shop was reopened in the residential area on February 25, the excise and prohibition department shut down the shop on Monday.
It was first highlighted in these columns about the resistance put up by local residents, Pradeep Rao, the excise superintendent of Malkajgiri tweeted that department officials visited the locality and spoke to them.“I visited today morning based on news in TOI to BJR Nagar, Malkajgiri, noticed d toddy shop location, interacted with local residents...,” he tweeted.
“Though the toddy shop owner has the necessary permissions and licence to run the shop, we shut down the premises as several women in the locality raised concerns about the shop running in a residential area. The toddy shop has been there for several years, but as the residential area grew over the past few years, the women in the locality requested us to shift the shop. We closed down the shop, respecting the complaints,” Rao said.
Locals expressed relief after the shop was shut down. “On Monday morning, the inspection happened. We observed the change from Monday night itself. There were no trouble-makers on the streets, no one was creating a nuisance. I even saw a few residents going out for walks at night,” said S Arun, a resident of BJR Nagar.
“When my daughter went to school on Tuesday, I was not worried. The women in the locality feel safe now,” said Santosh, a private sector employee and resident of the locality.
According to the excise department, however, the toddy shop was not violating any norms. “We found that the toddy shop was not within 100m of any education institute. The shop was shifted out in 2017, but last week the shop had reverted to the same place, as the owner found the rent high in the new area. The shop owner also owns the property where the shop was erected,” said the excise superintendent.