The Excise Department has issued a policy for license exemption for retail sale of Bhang, Bhang Ghota and Bhang sweets in the state from April 1.
The new policy states that any person who is not guilty under Section 34 (2) and 49 (A) of the Excise Act can participate in the tender process for operating these shops.
Under Section 34 (2), any person caught in possession of more than 50 liters of liquor is accused and does not get bail from the police station. Similarly, under Section 49 (A), there is a provision for punishment for crimes related to poisonous liquor. Its accused also cannot participate in its auction.
In the policy issued by the Excise Department, it has been said that in the arrangement decided for the next financial year, neither new shops will be opened, nor old shops will be closed. Auction of shops will be done only if the already operated shops are not renewed with ten percent more amount.
For this, Assistant District Excise Officers will be able to take action in 43 districts. No person, institution, firm, partnership society or others shall participate in the auction if the person concerned has any dues with the Excise Department or is a surety.
The rules state that if two bidders quote the same amount for a shop, then in such a case the tender will be decided by a lottery system in front of both the bidders.
Along with this, if any tenderer presents a bank guarantee from outside Madhya Pradesh, then he will have to get such bank guarantee verified from the branch of the same bank located at the concerned district or its divisional headquarters of Madhya Pradesh and present it before the department. Bank guarantee will be valid only till June 30, 2025.
Purchasing applications for cannabis shops will take place from February 19th to February 26. Forms can also be submitted during this period.
The date of form testing and scrutiny will be decided after 3 pm on February 26. The work of purchasing tender forms can be done between February 28 and March 1. During this time, action can also be taken to submit the form.