Boozers litter Pragathi Maidain in Kothagudem with empty bottles, residents want action

Boozers have been making the ground their adda during night hours and turning it into an open bar much to the dismay of the locals

Kothagudem: The residents of the coal town of Kothagudem are worried over misuse of Pragathi Maidan, a sports ground in the heart of the town that serves many purposes.

Boozers have been making the ground their adda during night hours and turning it into an open bar much to the dismay of the locals. The boozers are using cement benches set up by the local municipality to sit and consume liquor.

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After consuming liquor in the ground they litter the ground with empty liquor bottles causing much inconvenience to the morning walkers and sportspersons who come to the ground for practice, complained a resident of Rama Talkies area Bathula Srinivas.

Sometimes the youths who gather in Pragathi Maidan at Barley pit area are also breaking the liquor bottles on the ground posing danger to the morning walkers, especially women and elders besides children, who come to the ground to play, worried another resident Syed Ahmed.

It may be noted that the Pragathi Maidan is being used to celebrate national and state festivals like Republic Day, Independence Day, Telangana State formation Day as well as to organise events like job fairs. There is a Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial built in Pragathi Maidan.

Speaking to Telangana Today Srinivas and Ahmed complained that the boozers with their demeanour are disrespecting the Martyr’s Memorial. Youths who are addicted to ganja consumption are also making Rajiv Park adjacent to the ground their haven as they could safely hide themselves among the trees in the ground to smoke ganja, they alleged.

Several complaints to concerned officials yielded no result, they said adding that when the locals question the boozers they are resorting to threats. The residents wanted the municipal officials to clean the ground on a daily basis and the police to check the menace of the boozers at the ground, which is an important lung space for the citizens.