PANAJI
The Commissioner of Excise has now been authorized permission to grant approval for additional time beyond 11 pm for the sale of liquor in coastal village panchayats coming under Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), areas under the jurisdiction of municipal councils, casinos and the hotels registered with the Department of Tourism.
However, for regulating the sale of liquor in rural and hinterland areas, such applications shall be referred to the government by the excise department for decision, states a notification issued by Under Secretary, Finance.
Since 2014, a committee headed by Additional District Collector I and Assistant Commissioner of Excise of the District concerned would examine the applications and grant permissions for the retail sale of liquor, for consumption beyond 11 pm in all establishments including starred hotel categories. The government has now withdrawn the 2014 notification doing away with permissions through the committee.
Earlier this year, standalone liquor shops were allowed to remain open from 7 am till 1 pm during the 15-day curfew in Goa which came into force on May 9.
As the lockdown eased, Goa including nine other States were allowed liquor sales. The restrictions in Goa did not permit liquor shops to function in red zones of containment. However, the liquor shops outside the red zones were functional from 7 am to 1 pm. The other States that were allowed to sell liquor were Delhi, Telangana, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
It was last year in May that the Centre's amended guidelines for the Covid lockdown opened up liquor stores in Goa, but traders were still concerned that they might run out of stocks, as the ban on foreign imports remained in place.
According to Dattaprasad Naik, president of Goa Liquor Traders Association, around 1,300 liquor outlets stocked up well when they resumed operations on May 4. However, there were fears of beer stocks drying up, as supply from neighbouring states was disrupted after Goa sealed its borders.
Shops selling medicines, groceries, animal fodder, public distribution system, standalone liquor shops and related activities remained open from 7 am till 1 pm.
Although some brands of whiskey were manufactured in Goa, the base alcohol used for production is sourced from other states, especially Uttar Pradesh. Liquor stores in the coastal state had downed their shutters, when the Centre announced the lockdown last month to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Sale of alcohol was expected to drop by 70 per cent once the business resumes, as tourism had been suspended then, as the majority of liquor consumers in Goa are tourists and only 30 per cent of the supplies are for locals. The liquor trade will gain momentum, as tourism resumes.
Casinos, bars, restaurants, shops (except selling groceries), sports complex, auditoriums, community hall, river cruises, waterparks, entertainment parks, gyms, massage parlours, saloon, cinema hall, theatres, multiplexes, entertainment zones within the shopping malls, swimming pools, schools, colleges, educational and coaching institutions, religious places and markets remained shut during the curfew period. Now slowly, as the economy opens, these establishments will be opened phase-wise.
