the goan I network
MARGAO
Close to a decade and half since the government shifted the Salcete Excise office to a private premise at the Osia Commercial Complex along with other departments, space constraint has hit the functioning of the office.
Otherwise, just consider this: In the absence of a warehouse to store liquor bottles seized and confiscated during raids, the stock is just stored in the administrative office, hampering the movement of officials and public alike.
In fact, bar owners and visitors visiting the Excise office say they are being greeted by bundles of liquor bottles just dumped in the administrative office for want of warehouse of additional space. When contacted, Excise officer Chandranath Desai informed that the auction of the seized bottles could not take place this time, one because of the rush from the bar owners for renewal of their licences and in some cases for want of finalisation of the inquiries. “We have been storing the liquor bottles confiscated in seizures at the Excise office itself since the Salcete Excise has no warehouse facility,” he said, while exuding confidence that the stock will be disposed off immediately.
The then BJP-government headed by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had taken the decision around a decade and half to shift some of the government offices into the Osia Commercial Complex by spending crores of rupees on the plea that space crunch had hit the administration of these departments. Visitors to the Salcete Excise office say the liquor bottles dumped in the office has made the premise an eyesore, with bottles stacked in gunny bags lying around for want of space.
Fate of 202 liquor outlets across
Salcete hangs in balance
MARGAO: The fate of 202 liquor outlets, including bars, across Salcete hangs in balance, even as TCP Minister and member of the Cabinet Advisory Committee (CAC) Vijai Sardesai has asserted that the government is committed to save all the 1300-odd bars located along the National and State highways in the villages.
Salcete excise officials have compiled and dispatched a report to the Excise Commission’s office stating that around 202 bars and liquor outlets are located in the taluka, right from Old Mardol, Verna to Nuvem, Navelim and further down on the NH-17, besides bars located on the Raia-Loutolim stretch of the State highway and outlets along SH-8, passing from Davorlim to Curtorim, Chandor, Guirdolim and Curchorem.
Officials said the government is seized of the matter and has even formed a three-member panel to study the matter in view of the Supreme Court order, stating that liquor outlets may operate in the village if they are urban areas.
Meanwhile, TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai has pointed out to the media that the government is committed to save all the bars and liquor outlets located all along the NH and SHs as per the Supreme Court order.
“The very future of these bars and liquor outlets is at stake as they have been operating much before we were all born. We do not want self-employed people to become unemployed because of some wrong decisions,” he said adding that the three-member panel is on the job, which will take a call on the issue case by case.
