Ahmedabad: In a village in Gujarat, getting caught drunk can prove costly for a person as he is mandated to host a feast of mutton curry and bati (roasted wheat balls) for the entire village which costs around Rs 20,000-25,000. This is over and above the Rs 2,000 fine charged on the spot!
In tribal Khatisitara village of Amirgadh taluka in Banaskantha district, the fine was introduced in 2013-14 when village elders realised that alcoholism had become a major nuisance. The village also recorded a rise in assaults and murders as aggression rose in men who had drowned a couple of drinks.
“If anybody is caught drunk, he is fined Rs 2,000. If a drunkard is found creating ruckus, the penalty of Rs 5,000. Moreover, he has to geed the village of 750-800 people a feast of ‘bokdu’ or mutton curry with bati which costs upward of Rs 20,000,” says village sarpanch Khimji Dungaisa.
“The penalty has led to a decline in number of drunkards creating ruckus in the open,” says village sarpanch Khimji.
The fear of the punishment is so much that only three to four persons were caught in initial years while only one person was caught drunk in 2018. Interestingly, no one has been recorded so far in 2019.