Telangana State Goud Geetha Workers’ Association president, Raman Goud, has accused Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao of being responsible for the closure of Neera Café at Necklace Road in Hyderabad. Speaking at a press conference in Pebbair on Monday, he claimed that Jupally instructed Tourism Corporation MD Prakash Reddy to issue eviction orders.
Raman Goud warned that any move against the Goud community would be met with strong resistance. He pointed out that Rs 25 crore from the state budget was allocated for toddy-tappers and used by the Toddy Corporation to establish Neera Café. He further explained that a private company, Tenira Palm Product Development Society (TPDS), initially bought Neera at Rs 160 per litre and sold it for Rs 300 per litre. However, the company later claimed financial losses as a reason for shutting down the café.
In response, Goud and toddy tapper associations have started protests, demanding that the café be handed over to the Toddy Corporation instead of being closed. Raman also criticized the Congress government for failing to keep its election promises to toddy-tappers. He highlighted that since the Congress came to power, 19 toddy-tappers have died from falls, yet welfare schemes remain stalled. He also pointed out that despite promises to increase ex-gratia from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, compensation payments continue to be delayed.
