Villagers want liquor vends closed,but govt not keen

In Barnala,two vends will be closed after eight requests were received while the department will close a vend in Moga after receiving two requests from here. One request each from Ropar and Fategarh Sahib has been accepted,while three vends are to be closed out of five requests from Hoshiarpur.

The excise department,however,has not accepted a request from Gurdaspur and declined two from Mansa. One request each from Jalandahr and Ludhiana have not been accepted,while twenty seven vends locations will be shifted including one in Mohali.

Sources said that as per the Panchayati Raj Act,a village panchayat can pass a resolution and inform the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department between April 1 and September 30,requesting a restriction on the sale of alcohol. As per rules,after the liquor vend is closed,an excise and taxation officer (ETO) verifies the police records of a village to ensure that no illegal liquor is sold in the area.

In the last financial year,the department had closed liquor vends in 32 villages and shifted 10 out of the villages after receiving 72 resolutions. In 2009,some 45 panchayats of various villages had filed anti-liquor resolutions with excise department but it had accepted only around 23,in 2010 the resolutions numbered 72 with only 42 villages managing to get rid of the liquor vends. Following a resolution passed by panchayats in 2009,to shut liquor vends as part of their fight against alcoholism,Bollywood star Aamir Khan had held a special video conference with the residents of Changal village in Sangrur.

The new excise policy for 2012-13,which was approved by the cabinet recently,states that there has been a revenue increase of Rs 570 crore over the last financial year.

As a result of this,the excise revenues will touch Rs 3,638.40 crore at the end of March,2013,an increase of approximately 18.57 per cent over the expected excise collections of Rs 3,068.40 crores for the year 2011-12.

The cabinet has also decided to continue with the existing system of allotment of liquor vends through a draw of lots. As in the previous years,the draw of lots for the allotment of vends will be conducted in the presence of applicants,public and the deputy commissioners.