In Uttarakhand, liquor will only be available for 6 hours a day. Cutting the timings of liquor vends across the state, Uttrakhand took this decision as a part of liquor ban on highways across India.
The northern Indian state of Uttrakhand is known for its Hindu pilgrimage sites. The state had called for a complete liquor ban and wanted to go dry just as Gujarat. Liquor ban in different parts of India has been the most talked topic but there’s a sigh of relief for all the Alcoholic people in Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand’s chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said on Tuesday that the state cannot afford to go for a total liquor ban liquor.
Uttrakhand Liquor Regulations | (Not A Total Ban)
Uttarakhand’s chief minister said some regulations are better than totally banning liquor in the state. The state government is gradually moving towards their goal of not completely banning liquor.
There was a protest in Haryana when liquor was banned during Bansi Lal’s leadership and on the other side Patna, Bihar’s capital does not hold any international conferences due to the unavailability of liquor in the market.
Trivendra Singh Rawat said that the foreign delegates also participate in the conferences hosted by the Bihar government. All these conferences have now been shifted to Ranchi and Varanasi where there is no prohibition of liquor.
A Logical Reason Not To Completely Ban Liquor
The state’s chief minister said that they don’t want liquor to be their source of earning revenue and they will regulate liquor sale and consumption gradually. He said that Uttarakhand is a tourist state and earns Rs. 2000 crore annually from tourist arrivals. They don’t want to disappoint their tourists and this is why they cannot afford to go on a total liquor ban.
From 1 May 2017, the state government’s new excise policy will come into effect and the liquor shops in Uttarakhand will be open for six hours from 3 pm to 9 pm.
This is the first step towards regulating liquor consumption and trade in Uttarakhand. Strict rules are being framed for the people who will create a nuisance and will misbehave in public after consuming alcohol.
Though Uttarakhand and UP have the same objective but Trivendra Singh Rawat said that they will be going at their own pace as this would help in transparent, balanced and corruption-free governance in Uttarakhand.
Other Priorities Of Uttarakhand Government
The other priorities of Uttarakhand government are:
- Providing electricity to all the villages by the end of 2017
- Putting an end to illegal mining
- To end the cheating of people in the registry of land purchased by them.
The Uttarakhand government has also set a target of earning Rs. 1,000 crore from mining this year.
Source: The Financial Express