Vijayawada: Ex-Mayor Jandhyala Sankar's plea to open wine shops

Vijayawada: Former Mayor Jandhyala Sankar, in a letter to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, while thanking him and his administration for effectively enforcing lockdown and creating awareness on Covid-19, said that as a physician in the city and the mayor of the great city, he wished to state that consumption of alcohol has no direct or indirect effect on Covid-19.

He appealed to the Chief Minister to reopen the wine shops in the larger interest of people. "If some responsible citizens wish to have a drink or two in their residences, there is nothing wrong in their desire", he said.

He recalled that even in the days of prohibition, on medical prescription alcohol was made available to the citizens. Many aged and also many with heart problems are being advised to take wine, he said, requesting the government to open the wine shops in specific timings.

He said that it is not out place to appeal that the government may consider 'door delivery' through some recognised NGOs at nominal service charge out of which some amount may be donated to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

Stating that the government is not in a position to forego a substantial revenue on liquor sales even for a short period, he recalled the quote of the famous British author Aldus Leonard Huxley who in his article 'In Praise of Idleness' wrote, "Make a rich man spends his money in some form or other. It eventually goes to the poor or distributed among deserving people."

Stating that he could understand the delicate situation, he said that he was sincerely requesting the Chief Minister to seriously consider the request to open wine shops.