The police and Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) personnel have shut down 17 liquor shops in the villages bordering Telangana where the Assembly elections are due on November 30 (Thursday).
As many as 35 mandals in six districts of NTR, Eluru, Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR), Palnadu, Nandyal and Kurnool share borders with Telangana.
“In all, 35 police stations and 18 SEB stations are located in the mandals sharing border with Telangana,” said Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) K.V. Rajendranath Reddy.
Special teams have been constituted to check the distribution of liquor, cash and freebies. The teams will also check anti-social elements, the DGP told The Hindu.
“We have closed liquor shops in Veerupaladu, Jaggaiahpet, Vatsavai, Jeelugumilli, T. Narsapuram, Atchampeta, Dachepalli, C. Belagal, Kothapalli, Padigyala, Nandavaram and other mandals,” said SEB Deputy Inspector General (DIG) M. Ravi Prakash.
“An action plan has been chalked out during the border meetings held with the Collectors, Joint Collectors, Commissioner of Police, Superintendents of Police and other officers to help ensure peaceful conduct of polling in the neighbouring State,” the DIG said.
Patrolling has been intensified in the habitations along the Andhra Radesh-Telangana border and the liquor outlets located along the border have been closed, said Mr. Ravi Prakash, who is also the nodal officer in Andhra Pradesh for elections in the neighbouring States.
Meanwhile, the Guntur Range police have deployed additional and reserved forces in the districts bordering Telangana.
Guntur Range Inspector General of Police Pala Raju said that the reserved forces had been deployed at nine check-posts along the inter-State border in Palnadu and Prakasam districts.
