Liquor bars, beer parlours in Odisha to shut down by 10.30 p.m.

Reported by Sandeep Pattnaik
Bhubaneswar, June 5 :

The Odisha government on Thursday decided to change the timings of liquor bars including the beer parlours in the state from morning 10.30 am to 10.30 pm night.

Earlier the bars were open from 12 pm noon to 12 pm in the night.

The move is a part of the efforts by the state government to check the rise in antisocial activities, mostly in urban areas, according to Minister in charge of Excise and Co-operation, Dr Damodar Rout.

“The state will not lose any revenue due to the early shut-down. Last year the state has clocked profits of around Rs 350 crore despite the fact that 200 plus bars have closed down,” Dr Rout said.

However, Finance minister Pradeep Amat will take a final call on this move after ‘due consultation’ with the Excise department, sources in the government said.

It is to be noted that, the state earns about Rs 1,700 crore revenue from these bars / hotel-cum-bars and other liquor vending outlets.

There are 401 bars (including hotel-cum-bars) and 119 beer parlors in the state in operation at present, according to official sources.