Liquor outlets reopen in MP after talks between traders, govt

Liquor shops reopened in Madhya

Pradesh on Wednesday following talks between traders and the state government.

Traders wanted some kind of relief from the government to make up for the loss of business as the shops remained closed for over a month this fiscal due to the lockdown imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Though the shops opened after 41 days, there were no scenes of tipplers jostling to buy alcohol and forcing the police to use their batons, unlike in Delhi and some other places in the country after the lockdown was relaxed.

No instance of unruly buyers breaking social distancing norms was reported in the state.

 

But at some shops happy buyers were seen breaking into dance after getting hold of the bottle.

The state government had ordered liquor traders -- called 'liquor contractors' in local parlance -- to reopen shops except in Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain which are the worst-affected by the pandemic, but retail liquor shops did not open on Tuesday.

The contractors instead moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which issued a notice to the state government. Home Minister Narottam Mishra had then said that if liquor traders had any problem, they should have approached the government.

Traders held talks with the government on Wednesday.

"We reopened our shops after holding talks with top government officers at Mantralaya (secretariat) today," MP Liquor Association president Akhilesh Rai told PTI.

"We have been assured that our concerns will be looked into," he added.

The MP government has set a target of collecting revenue of Rs 11,500 crore from liquor sales this fiscal.

But owing to lockdown, liquor shops have remained closed for 35 days in Financial Year 2020-21, said a liquor contractor.

Liquor shop owners in MP have to bag a contract for sale every fiscal, coughing up a hefty licensee fee, paid in part every fortnight, he explained.

"We want the state government to make up the loss of around Rs 1,102.73 crore incurred due to closure of shops for 35 days as we did not earn a penny during this period," he said.

On Monday, the state government ordered reopening of liquor and hemp (bhang) shops from Tuesday, excluding Bhopal, Indore and Ujjain which fall under Red zone.

But the next day, liquor contractors moved the HC fearing loss of business as the order to reopen excluded bars and 'ahatas' (low-budget drinking vends usually attached to liquor shops).

They sought a court direction that the contracts be either reviewed or recalled in view of the "unstable" market condition caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Consumers welcomed the opening of liquor shops on Wednesday.

"I am happy that at last booze shops reopened," said a man outside a shop in Sehore district.