NOC to be made mandatory for liquor vends in housing societies: Ajit Pawar

Ajit Pawar also told the legislative assembly that no permission to open new liquor shops has been given in the state since 1972

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said a no-objection certificate from housing societies will be mandatory for liquor vends if they wish to migrate to their premises. 

Pawar, who is also the state Finance and Excise Minister, also told the legislative assembly that no permission to open new liquor shops has been given in the state since 1972. 

The excise department gets proposals for migration of old shops to new locations. It is then verified and its migration is approved. While doing so, police's approval is sought and then a decision is taken on it, he said. 

In rural areas or municipal limits, a NOC from the civic body is a must and only then the shop is approved. In case of a rural location, a gram sabha resolution is mandatory, he added. 

"New (housing) societies are emerging in cities. However, there is no NOC from the society. But I think change needs to be made in the law. It is the right of the society to determine what kind of shops they want. Change will be made in the law at the earliest," Pawar said responding to a calling attention motion in the assembly. 

Many housing societies have commercial establishments, with some even having liquor vends. Pawar also agreed to BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar's demand that if any housing society that wants to shut a liquor vend due to nuisance, polling needs to be conducted in that particular ward, in which 75 per cent of the voters must be in favour of that proposal. 

The earlier norm was that 50 per cent of the total voters in that ward should be in favour of shutting the vend.