Excise Minister Aswini Kumar Patra admitted in the State Assembly on Saturday that in different places of the State both foreign and country made liquors are being sold at more than maximum retail price (MRP), confirming a huge demand for liquor and a big jump in its sale in the State.
Answering to a question of BJD MLA Arabinda Dhali, the Minister said that during the year 2021-22, at least 29 serious cases of irregularity were found and Rs 29 lakh penalty was collected from the liquor vendors.
Similarly, in 2022-23, as many as 31 cases of irregularity were registered and in eight cases, a penalty of Rs 8 lakh was collected and the remaining 23 cases were under examination. All these cases were related to selling liquor more than the MRP, Patra said.
Some members of the House wanted to know as to what should be the distance of liquor shops from temples and public places.
Regarding issuing receipt in liquor sales, a question raised by BJP’s Bishnu Sethi, the Minister said like any other retail sales provision where providing receipt is a must, the same applies to liquor sale as well. However, it all depends on whether the consumers demand it or not, Minister Patra told.
