Liquor shops located in various cities of Gujarat will remain closed until May 1 on account of the third phase of Lok Sabha polls to be held in the state on April 30,sources in Gujarat government said. The liquor shops are located in Vadodara,Surat,Ankleshwar,Anand,Nadiad,Ahmedabad,Mehsana,Rajkot,Jamnagar,Bhuj and Gandhidham Kutch. Those holding permits on health grounds are permitted to buy India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from shops located in these cities,added sources. V J Dave,Superintendent of Prohibition Department in Vadodara,said there are more than 1,200 permit holders in the city. It is estimated that more than 15,000 people are holding liquor permits in the state. The closure of these liquor shops took place when poll campaigning ended on Tuesday at 5 pm. Dave said these liquor shops will reopen on May 1. On the other hand,the Vadodara district police seized IMFL from Chhota Udepur worth Rs 3.56 lakh during routine checking on Monday. According to the police,a Tata Safari carrying 50 boxes of quarter bottles of IMFL was caught by the police officers. Two persons from Devgadh Baria in Saatada,Pratapbhai Sutar and Chukabha Baria,were arrested.
