Excise licence extended

The State Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Excise department proposal for granting further extension of three months to the existing licences of vendors for Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and country spirit.

The department will rework the guidelines for implementation of e-auction and seek further direction of the Cabinet, Chief Secretary J K Mohapatra told reporters after the meeting.

While upholding the excise policy of the State  Government, the Orissa High Court recently rejected the procedure laid down by the Government for e-auctioning of IMFL Off shops and country spirit shops in the State and directed that fresh decision be taken quickly after reconsidering different aspects in the matter.

The April 5 order of the Excise department laying down the procedure for implementing e-auction was held unreasonable and unsustainable in law. “It would, therefore, be desirable if the Government addresses itself on different aspects of the procedure to take a fresh decision as early as practicable. Till then, the existing arrangements would be in place,” the court ruled while disposing of more than 100 writ petitions challenging e-auctioning of liquor shops.

The department will address the lacunae in the operational guidelines and place the matter before the Cabinet for implementing the decision of e-auction, Mohapatra said.  Earlier, the existing IMFL Off shops and country spirit shops were allowed extension of licence up to July on the basis of the interim direction of the High Court.

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