The Odisha High Court on Tuesday deferred the hearing till Wednesday in the case challenging the move of the State Government to reduce the offer price for beer suppliers.
The Excise Department, which has already suffered a stiff reduction in revenue collection due to shortage of beer, has now proposed to the Government to slash the hike in the offer price from 20 per cent to 10 per cent. The stalemate might come to an end after approval of the proposal by the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, members of the Wine Merchants’ Association met the Excise Secretary on Monday and discussed about the scarcity of the beverage.
Big brands like United Breweries, SAB Miller India and Carlsberg India, which usually supply 70 per cent of beer to Odisha, have declined to sign an annual agreement with the Odisha State Beverages Corporation.
The corporation is able to supply only 2.35 lakh cases of beer in April to the licensed retailers against the demand of 12.49 lakh cases.