The tribal village of Chandapur in Surat has decided it’ll be free of the state government. At a gram sabha last week, Chandapurians resolved they would decide when the sabha would be held and not the government. They also decided that it would be the villagers who would set the schedule for local officials like gram sevaks and health workers to visit the village. And significantly, though alcohol is prohibited in Gujarat, they decided to allow it during festivals since liquor is "an integral part of tribal culture". One other resolution passed was that the gram panchayat would have the right to charge Rs 50 per truckload of sand mined from the Mesu river bank. The farmers were also allowed to till forest land. The state government fears the spread of the tendency.