With an eye on generating more revenue by way of excise duty, the State government is likely to allow Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL) to open more liquor shops across Karnataka. A senior official of the Excise Department said, “The government had given permission for the MSIL to operate 1,363 shops in the State, of which 815 are already open. The remaining shops can open after assessing their requirements. The Deputy Commissioners will give the final approval.”
Excise Minister H. Nagesh told the media that, at present, four MSIL shops are functioning in each assembly constituency. In future, measures will be taken to open more shops after examining the requirements.
The government has also decided that the local MLA’s consent is not required; the rule on seeking consent of an MLA was withdrawn a fortnight ago.
Long queues
The higher price of Indian Made Liquor, which came into effect on Tuesday, did little to stem the tide of people queuing up outside shops.
Prasanth, a resident of Yelahanka New Town, said, “On Monday evening, I got in a line to purchase liquor. Around 6 p.m., the police asked people to leave and instructed shop owners to shut the door. So, I went back on Tuesday.”
Some of the queues were longer than usual as store owners were not allowing customers inside, but had instead placed a counter near the door.
In the Central Business District, people were seen braving the heat to purchase liquor. As announced by the Excise Department, customers had to pay 6% more for IML
Excise Department officials estimate the number of people queueing up on Tuesday was less than that of Monday. “After an incident of a liquor store selling alcohol worth more than ₹52,800 to a buyer had gone viral on social media, strict instructions have been given to shops to sell liquor to customers within limits,” said a senior excise official.
He added that a case has been registered with local excise officials. The shop owner has claimed that he sold the liquor to eight customers, but generated a single bill.
Retailers stock up
Anticipating higher sales, liquor shops across the State procured stock worth ₹197 crore from depots of Karnataka State Beverages Corporation Limited (KSBCL). An official of the Excise Department said that a total of 36.37 lakh litres of Indian Made liquor (IML) and 7.02 lakh litres of beer were procured by retailers.
