PANAJI
The State government on Monday issued an order directing the excise department to renew licences of liquor outlets located within municipal areas bringing relief to 1209 liquor licence holders.
Subsequently, Excise Commissioner Amit Satija issued an order authorising "all officials incharge of excise stations to proceed to renew the licences of retail sale of liquor located within their respective jurisdiction for the area covered under municipal areas, provided all other requirements for grant/renewal of licences are fully met as provided under the Goa Excise Act and Rules, 1964".
Speaking to media, Satija said with this order, all licences will be renewed within the next two or three days and positively before the end of this week.
"From tomorrow we will start the renewal process in municipal areas. We've called all our excise inspectors to brief them about the order, so that they can expedite the work. The only thing which the affected licence holders will be required to submit is an NOC from the municipal body or any trade permit or trade licence granted by the municipal body to these people as a proof that they are operating in a municipal area apart from the regular papers," Satija said.
Satija said that once the process of renewing the licences of those in municipal areas was complete, the Excise Department would move on to those falling in village panchayat areas and clearing the licences of those who operate outside the 220-metre the access road.
The government has issued an order that the distance should be measured via access road and that if it is not visible from the highway, the licence can be renewed.
The Supreme Court had in an order on July 11 ruled that municipal areas were to be excluded from the ban on sale of liquor in the proximity of highways and the order was made available in the last week of August.
Margao stands to benefit the most with 349 liquor licences scheduled to be renewed once the order is issued while Mormugao and Vasco da Gama which had for all intents and purposes become a dry town on April 1 also standing to benefit the most with 312 licences set to be renewed.
