Order asking professors for duty at liquor vends cancelled

The district administration in Akola in Maharashtra has cancelled its previous order in which it had directed some college professors to act as coordinators at liquor shops to observe whether social distancing norms were being followed by the customers, an official said. The tehsildar of Murtijapur tehsil in the district on Thursday cancelled the order after it social media users and others criticised the move.

As liquor shops started functioning in parts of Maharashtra from Monday, the authorities in Murtijapur had directed the professors of Sant Gadgebababa College to work as coordinators outside such outlets to see whether the customers were following social distancing norms. The duty was assigned to them due to lack of manpower. However, as the decision drew flak from social media users and local residents, the administration decided to withdraw the order on Thursday, a senior official said.

The district collector has clearly stated only the police personnel should be assigned this duty, he said..