Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has withdrawn the proposal to serve liquor in shacks on the Puri beach to promote tourism. Instead, the government endorses liquor ban in religious places, a notification issued by the Excise Department said.
According to the notification, the government will not allow serving liquor in beach shacks to promote tourism. The notifications says that sale of liquor will be banned in beach shacks under Puri Municipality and within a 5 km radius of any other place of socio-religious-cultural significance in the state.
Earlier, the Tourism Department of Odisha government had issued licence to serve liquor in beach shacks. The notification, however, emphasised that permitting beach shacks at Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath, is against the socio-religious-cultural significance of the land of Lord Jagannath.
As per the notification, no license shall be granted to operate beach shacks in the jurisdiction of Puri Municipality and within 5 km of any place of socio-religious-cultural significance in other parts of Odisha.
