Sakhi Mandals to fight liquor menace in Tapi

SURAT: The district administration and the police have come together in Tapi to revive Sakhi Mandals, the women's self-help groups that were so effective in curbing the liquor menace in Tapi, Navsari and Surat districts three years ago.
The anti-liquor movement was abruptly withdrawn in 2010 due to pressure from local politicians and the police which accused the leaders of the Sakhi Mandals of taking the law into their own hands.
The first Sakhi Mandal was formed in December 2008 by the women of Vehval village in Mahuva taluka as several of them were being beaten up by their alcoholic husbands. Some were even widowed young as their husbands drank themselves to death.
Sakhi Mandals began destroying liquor stills and hooch dens in the villages. The movement was a huge success and it spread to the neighbouring areas. By 2009, it had spread to Tapi, Surat and Navsari districts where tens of thousands of women became members of Sakhi Mandals.
Now, Tapi district collector RJ Patel has decided to empower Sakhi Mandals. "It is our mission to see that each and every village in the district has its own Sakhi Mandal to curb the liquor menace. This time, the women will not face any problem from the police department or the local leaders as we plan to give them a free hand to transform Tapi into a liquor-free district," said Patel.
Hasmukh Patel, Surat Range IG, who is known as an upright policeman, and the biggest enemy of bootleggers, has pledged his support to the anti-liquor movement. "This is going to be a big movement and both the district administration and the police department are going to do it positively," said a senior police officer.
Patel said that during his stint as district development officer (DDO) in various districts of Gujarat, he have been a witness to the misery of women whose husbands were alcoholics. ''They (women) are beaten up and many become widows at a young age. Hence, I felt the need to revive the Sakhi Mandals to fight the liquor mafia in the villages," he said.