Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will conduct a lottery for the allotment of liquor shops in April, with officials assuring complete transparency in the entire process.
According to Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan, the lottery will be held in the presence of the District Collector to ensure fairness and accountability. If needed, authorities may also use an electronic lottery system to make the process more efficient and eliminate any possibility of irregularities.
Officials stated that the tenure of existing liquor shop owners, who had obtained licences through the previous lottery, will end on March 31. However, they will be granted a two-month extension to ensure a smooth transition until the new allotments are finalised. In a related move under the new excise policy, hotels rated three-star and above with bar facilities will be granted on-shop (bar) permissions.
The government has clarified that no new liquor shops will be allowed to open. The number of existing off-shop liquor outlets will remain unchanged, with their Minimum Guaranteed Excise Revenue (MGER) fixed accordingly.
“The five-year licences for off-shops and country liquor (CL) shops will expire on March 31. Arrangements are being made to conduct the lottery in April. All efforts will be made to ensure the lottery is fully transparent. Hotels with a three-star rating and above, which have bar facilities, will be granted on-shop (bar) permissions,” said Harichandan.
