Bhubaneswar: The state government Tuesday allowed licensed OFF and On liquor shops to sell IMFL across the counter from July 1.
The shops will remain open from 7 am to 6 pm to avoid crowd at night, an order of Excise department said. At the same time, home delivery of the liquor will continue, it added.
To operate crowd at the shops, OSBC with the help of NIC has developed an online system for generation of an e-token for slot booking. Retailers have to ensure that customers take prior appointment to visit their shops. This is available on SSBC portal (http://osbc.co.in ) under the link of ‘e-token for slot booking’.
Retailers have to give adequate publicity for the e-token for slot booking as a tool for seeking prior appointment by prominently displaying the following message outside their shops: For prior appointment, please visit http://osbc.co.in and link ‘e-token for slot booking’.
The off shop owners will also have to erect barricades and employ manpower with specific responsibility to ensure regulation of queue, maintenance of social distancing norm etc by customers. They will also carry out proper marking on the ground outside their shops to facilitate safe distancing the notification said.
Further, those customers who don’t wear face masks and violate social distancing norm will not be entertained, it added.
Local police and Excise staff have been instructed to remain watchful. Collectors are authorized to close the shops in case of violation of the provisions by retailers.
The Odisha government Monday allowed home delivery of country liquor by the licensee himself or through his authorised representative, an Excise department official said.
The home delivery can be done between 7 am to 6 pm subject to compliance of lockdown regulations issued by local authorities, he added.
“The state government has allowed home delivery of Out Still (OS) liquor and ENA (Extra Neutral Alcohol) based country liquor across the state except those situated in containment zones with immediate effect,” a notification issued by the department said.
They will also have to prominently display their mobile/WhatsApp number for receiving orders to avoid hassle.
“At this stage, OS and CL licensees have not been permitted the sale of liquor across the counter in their premises,” the notification said.
Earlier, the state government May 24 had allowed ON and OFF shop owners to sell alcohol through the home delivery system by deploying their own personnel or through food aggregators like Swiggy, Zomato.
PNN
