Angul: The apex court’s order to shift liquor shops from within 500 metres radius of state and national highways will make a dent in the revenues of the district administration here. The losses may add up to a whopping Rs 201.79 crore for the district. Angul has the highest number of 64 liquor shops on its highways.
Excise officials have launched efforts to shift the liquor shops. Earlier, they conducted a survey to identify liquor outlets alongside highways in the district. The Supreme Court, in its order December 15, had asked the government to shut liquor shops along state and national highways in the country.
The survey identified 64 liquor shops on highways in the district. Closure of these shops would result in revenue loss to the tune of Rs 201.79 cr for the district, the highest in the state.
Sources in the excise office said out of 64 liquor shops on highways in the district, four are hotels, bars and restaurants. They are Hotel Durga and Shakti Continental in Angul, Surya Garden and Salam Namaste in Talcher. The bars running from these hotels will be closed down as these hotels are within 500 mtr radius of the highway.
Similarly, beer parlours at Lingarajodi and Nisha on Angul’s outskirts will be closed down. This apart, 33 IMFL shops, six country liquor outlets and their 18 sub-outlets and a military canteen on highways will also be closed down.
These outlets will apply for renewal of their licenses in March. However, this year the licenses of these shops will not be renewed after the Supreme Court order.
The apex court order will burn a hole in the earnings of the the district excise department. The closure of only 33 IMFL shops will result in a loss of Rs 19.36 crore for the district exchequer. Similarly, the closure of country liquor outlets will result in `61 lakh loss.
While Angul tops the districts in revenue losses because of the SC order, Cuttack comes second and Jajpur third.
Earlier, liquor traders had shifted to new locations after the Supreme Court had directed them to close down shops from within 50 mtrs of the highways in an earlier order September 8, 2015.
When contacted, Harish Chandra Sethy, district excise superintendent said notwithstanding the revenue loss the SC order will result in a decrease in road mishaps on highways. A survey was carried out on the apex court’s order and the report was submitted to the state excise department December 24. PNN
