Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: A day after the Orissa High Court quashed the state government’s decision to convert beer parlours into liquor on shops, excise minister Damodar Rout Friday justified the government decision.
“In order to stop illegal sale of foreign liquor and generate more revenue, we had made it mandatory for all beer parlours to sell the Indian Manufactured Foreign Liquor (IMFL) as per our excise policy for 2015-16,” Rout said.
As beer parlour owners have to pay more than thrice the existing licence fees annually, they have opposed the decision and moved the HC, he said.
On the government’s future course of action, he said, “The state government will implement the order of the high court.”
According to sources, while the government is earning Rs 2.50 lakh annually as licence fees from each beer parlour, it had planned to earn Rs 8 lakh as licence fees from each by converting them as IMFL ‘on shops’.
Notably, the state government March 3, 2015 had announced its new Excise policy for 2015-16 asking all beer parlours to mandatorily convert their shops into IMFL shops from April 1, 2015. However, several petitioners had moved the HC challenging the New Excise Policy, saying it was not in conformity with the Bihar and Orissa Excise Act.
