Bidder attempts to end life as draw of lots put off
The Hindu
Officials found fewer than stipulated minimum applications for the particular shop
A man, who applied for grant of licence to open a liquor outlet in Sarangapur mandal, caused a flutter by allegedly attempting suicide in Jagtial town in protest against the postponement of draw of lots for the particular liquor shop for want of the required number of applications on Saturday.
In sharp contrast to huge response for the auction of liquor outlets elsewhere in the district and State, the liquor shop in Sarangapur mandal received only six applications as against the stipulated minimum number of 10 applications, required to conduct draw of lots, sources said.
Minutes after the postponement of the draw of lots for the Sarangapur shop, an aggrieved applicant ran out of the venue on the Gollapally road in Jagtial and doused himself with petrol in an adjoining agricultural field.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.