Addressing the plight of female bootleggers in Shillong
The illicit business of peddling liquor by local women in Polo-Demseniong areas is well known in the city of Shillong. For many years, police personnel have persistently tried to bring an end to this illicit business by conducting several raids in the area and also by intercepting trucks delivering the liquor to the bootleggers. The persistent efforts of the police have curbed the business from time to time but have been unsuccessful in eradicating the practice of bootlegging in the area. The area has now become known for liquor sale at night and on dry days when legal liquor shops are shut. This has caused the area to become unsafe for any passerby. Further, the illicit liquor sold poses a public health hazard due to the possibility of spurious content.
During the COVID lockdown, the business of illegal bootlegging saw a sharp rise as legal liquor stores were shut. Subsequently, I/C Pasteur Beat House stepped up the efforts of conducting vice raids in the area. During his raids, seizures of large quantities of bottled liquor were made and locally brewed rice beer was destroyed. However, the women did not leave the area and continued their business whenever police presence was not there. Yet given the constant threat their business now faced, the women approached I/C Pasteur Beat House to stop ruining their business as they had nothing else to do. At this point, the matter was brought to the notice of myself as I was the appointed Sector Officer of Pasteur Area.
The fact that the women had come forward and had highlighted their plight indicated that they might be open to the idea of moving out of the business. I immediately called a meeting to discuss the issue with the Deputy Superintendent of Police in-charge of Women and Child Crimes in my the district and the Mission Director of the State Resource Centre for Women. It was concluded that the rehabilitation of the women into alternative livelihoods might be the only long term solution to the problem. It was decided that it might be worth meeting with the women and understanding their issues.
So, on 21/02/2021, I formed a team from Pasteur Beat House to bring together the women peddling liquor in Polo area. It was a Sunday afternoon when such illegal selling of liquor is the highest during the week as it is a dry day in the state of Meghalaya and customers come looking for liquor in that area. However, the team managed to bring together 11 women only. This is because the bootlegging women were sceptical of our intentions and mostly fled on seeing the police arrive in the area.
However, the discussion with the 11 women was fruitful. We learnt that most of the women engaged in illegal selling of liquor were single mothers whose husbands had either died or left them. It was learnt that many of them had been victims of domestic violence, poverty and loss of livelihood. Dr C.P Khonglah, Mission Director, State Resource Centre for Women spoke to them about whether any of them had ever tried to leave the business. It was learnt that most of them did not even have a bank account which hindered their ability to start a new business. However, some amongst them had taken loans from the informal sector for piggery / cultivation. Unfortunately, since they lacked skills/ training in such businesses, they had failed. Their pigs had died or their crops had gotten spoilt. In the midst of such doom, DySP Women and Child Crimes encouraged them to consider alternative lives which could be respected by their children or else warned them that their children would also fall into the same business of peddling liquor on the streets. To end on a positive note, the team offered them tea and snacks. Lastly, small towels were distributed as a token.
The findings of our interaction were eye-opening. The fact that the bootleggers had families dependent on them meant that they would leave the illicit business permanently only if they found sustainable alternatives. Hence, a meeting was convened of different agencies working in livelihood enhancement and in providing loans without collaterals.
On 02/03/2021, I met with experts from North East Network, NABARD Bank, NE Small Finance Bank, Meghalaya Rural Bank and Meghalaya Rural Skill Development Scheme. The meeting was joined by DySP Women and Child Crimes, East Khasi Hills and Mission Director of the State Resource Centre for Women, my partners in this entire initiative. Our findings were shared and they were invited to meet the women in a Interactive Program as resource persons. In the session, they were asked to provide the targeted women with bank accounts, collateral free loans and aid in forming Self Help Groups and in skill training.
Again, on 07/03/2021, I myself along with my colleagues in this project and staff from Pasteur Beat House met with 15 (fifteen) women from Polo-Demseniong areas. This was once again on a Sunday afternoon and the women showed resistance in coming together. But they were warned that their business was illicit, they were liable to heavy fines for the same and hence it was better that they joined our session. After all we were the police! However, (jokes aside) we had to gain their confidence and more so their interest in the interactive program organised for them. They were informed that an initiative is being taken for their livelihood enhancement. At this point, the women were surprised to find that we were serious in our efforts and that a program was being organised solely for them. Thereafter, they expressed their interest and promised to spread the word amongst other women in the same business. They shared with us that they too were eager to leave the business of peddling liquor on the streets if there was a viable alternative.
Finally, on On 27/03/2021 an “INTERACTION-CUM FACILITAION PROGRAMME FOR LIVELIHOOD ENHANCEMENT OF VULNERABLE WOMEN FROM POLO AND DEMSEINIONG AREAS OF SHILLONG” was held at Aurobindo Auditorium by the Office of Superintendent of Police, East Khasi Hills in collaboration with State Resource Centre for Women, Social Welfare Department. A whooping number of 40 women from the targeted population from Polo, Urkaliar and Mawblei attended the program! The Secretary of Darbar Shnong (assembly of headmen) of Urkaliar, Shri S. Samborlang Diengdoh, also attended the programme as he was curious regarding the initiative. After all it is the local headmen who were constantly facing problems with illicit liquor sellers and with the complaints from residents of the area!
The resource persons were from various backgrounds and each focussed on different aspects of livelihood enhancement and legitimisation of businesses. Dr Ailynti Nongbri, Professor of Shillong College, encouraged the women to enrol into AADHAR and provided facilitation for the same. Resource persons from NABARD, Meghalaya Rural Bank and NE Small Finance Banks provided forms for setting up Jan Dhan Bank accounts and offered information of various zero-collateral loans and Joint Liability Group loans that they offer.
The women were also provided counselling so as to make them more conducive to change. Dr. Jasmine M Lyngdoh, Clinical Psychologist spoke on the power to make the right decision and highlighted the importance of career growth in the context of social responsibility and financial security. Smti I. War, Member Secretary, Meghalaya State Commission for Women spoke at length about the safety of their children, the bond of marriage, maintenance after divorce and about human values. She educated them about the different schemes of the social welfare department that would allow them to take up lucrative businesses in their native villages.
The main intervention was however brought in by Smt A Khonglam, Skill Development Officer, Meghalaya State Skill Dev. Society who distributed forms amongst the women to learn about their current skills and the kind of alternative business they might be interested in. She helped the participating women to recognise that all the chores they undertake at home can be put into practice for commercial purpose i.e cooking food, making pickles & jams, housekeeping, gardening, stitching etc. She encouraged the women by promising an office job within the very next day to one of the participating women who showed keen interest in her session. She also introduced the Mahatma Gandhi Fellow of East Khasi Hills, who would be studying the forms filled up by the participants. Further, she would then follow up with the participants at their residences and help them start up new businesses.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by DySP Women and Child Crimes, EKH and with the distribution of gifts (solar lamps) by the the Mission Director, State Resource Centre for Women, Meghalaya. Lastly, contact numbers were provided so that the women could themselves follow up with the resource persons.
At the end of the day, I was simply hopeful that this small intervention in the form of an interaction and facilitation program will help the targeted women in moving out of the business of illicit liquor selling and in getting rehabilitated into more sustainable and meaningful livelihoods. This will not only alter their lives but also restore safety and peace in Polo, Umkaliar and Mawblei areas of Shillong!