The stirs being spearheaded by the women against the relocation of the liquor vends in their respective localities in the wake of the recent Supreme Court ruling has put the excise department officials in the soup. Finding it difficult to relocate the vends from the vicinity of the national and State highways to new places, they say that the department is incurring huge losses with 23 out of 72 liquor outlets located in Dehradun district remaining closed. “We are incurring losses to the tune of around Rs 20 crore with so many outlets remaining shut,” said the district excise officer Manoj Kumar Upadhyay on Thursday.
The department officials are worried over the continuance of the stirs, putting hurdles in the way of their relocation. “The aggrieved people should better talk to us to help us understand the reasons behind their reservation,” added Upadhyay.
In Dehradun, out of 72 liquor shops- 39 Indian Made Foreign liquor (IMFl), 31 country-made liquor (CMl) and two Beer shops have the valid licenses to sell liquors. Presently, 18 CMl shops and 31 IMFl shops are open in the district. Out of 49, 10 shops are being closed frequently following the stirs of the locals.
For the year 2016-17, the district excise department fixed Rs 320 crores as revenue to be collected from 72 liquor shops and the earning surpassed the target. But things are grim for the year 2016-17 with uncertainty staring the department in the face. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court order to shut down liquor vends located within a radius of 500 metres of national and state highways to stop accidents due to drunk driving, 45 out of 72 booze shops were shut down. later, the state government converting some state highways into district highways to circumvent the apex court ruling to keep the revenue flow on, a few of such vends have been spared the hassle of relocation.
In Dehradun, the women activists have been spearheading stirs against setting up of liquor shops in the crowded areas. On Thursday too, such stirs were held, compounding things for the excise department, groping for places for their relocation. The administration shutting down such relocated shops following such stirs is adding to their relocation woes, say the district excise officials. Some traders being coerced to relocate their shops in out of the way places are not happy either.