GANDHINAGAR: After elevating excise and other charges on liquor offered thru permit stores nearly threefold within the state funds, the federal government is now mulling a blanket ban on issuing new well being permits for liquor and renewals of previous well being permits.
On March 20, the director of prohibition issued a departmental order to district superintendents of prohibition and ordered that the process of issuing and renewing well being permits be straight away suspended.
M S Dagur, further leader secretary (Home), who chaired the review assembly of the prohibition division and directed it to issue a departmental order for a short lived ban on issuance and renewal of permits, mentioned, “This directive has been issued in the interim simplest. The govt received several lawsuits in regards to the device of issuing well being liquor permits. There is no uniform policy or criteria for well being liquor permits. All district well being boards and docs follow different criteria, so in consultation with the state well being and circle of relatives welfare division we now have determined to return out with a uniform policy.”
“In some districts, there are only a few permits issued whilst many districts have hundreds. So we determined to check all such permits. A brand new policy will be finalized via the federal government soon and new permits will be issued based on uniform criteria. Old permits can also be renewed only if they fulfil the new policy criteria. The govt is firm about stopping misuse of well being permits,” Dagur added.
There are these days 58 permit stores in Gujarat. A Gujarat govt committee with illustration from the tourism, prohibition, home and other departments will soon make a decision on licences to 19 more liquor stores, to reinforce tourism. The choice used to be pending because of the election code of behavior and govt wanted to steer clear of an argument as liquor is a delicate matter. Hotels sells liquor to guests from outside Gujarat and to well being permit holders from throughout the state.
The collection of liquor stores have doubled from 26 to 58. In January 2014, there have been simplest 26 liquor stores. The state govt is most likely to provide more licenses to new accommodations.
In 2015-16 and 2016-17, the Gujarat govt were given Rs 32.50 crore and Rs 38.90 crore as excise accountability and other charges on liquor offered at permit stores. This figure is expected to move Rs 45 crore in 2017-18.
Liquor permit holders expressed surprise. “The abrupt suspension of liquor permits can pose issues for holders, as they're used to managing their sicknesses particularly unstable angina, labile hypertension and insomnia with drugs and liquor. Putting a stop at the issue of permits is not a strategy to the alleged drawback of folks misusing well being grounds to get liquor permits,” mentioned Dr Vijay Bhatia, a plastic surgeon and a heart patient, who has had a well being permit for 5 years now.
Bhadresh Shethiya, a 49-year-old permit holder, mentioned, “The govt cannot take such arbitrary choices as a result of scientific practitioners are advising patients to try this. Those within the 40-50 years age-group are supposed to get permits renewed each and every two years. Thankfully mine used to be renewed final 12 months but this can be a time-consuming procedure. Most frequently renewal of a permit takes about two months.”
Hoteliers who have permit liquor stores on their premises, alternatively, say that majority of their revenue in most cases comes from well being permit holders. “85% to 90% of revenue at a permit shop comes from well being permit holders, as they buy liquor continuously. As permits are issued on well being grounds the federal government should re-verify documents as a substitute of randomly enforcing any such blanket ban.”
On March 20, the director of prohibition issued a departmental order to district superintendents of prohibition and ordered that the process of issuing and renewing well being permits be straight away suspended.
M S Dagur, further leader secretary (Home), who chaired the review assembly of the prohibition division and directed it to issue a departmental order for a short lived ban on issuance and renewal of permits, mentioned, “This directive has been issued in the interim simplest. The govt received several lawsuits in regards to the device of issuing well being liquor permits. There is no uniform policy or criteria for well being liquor permits. All district well being boards and docs follow different criteria, so in consultation with the state well being and circle of relatives welfare division we now have determined to return out with a uniform policy.”
“In some districts, there are only a few permits issued whilst many districts have hundreds. So we determined to check all such permits. A brand new policy will be finalized via the federal government soon and new permits will be issued based on uniform criteria. Old permits can also be renewed only if they fulfil the new policy criteria. The govt is firm about stopping misuse of well being permits,” Dagur added.
There are these days 58 permit stores in Gujarat. A Gujarat govt committee with illustration from the tourism, prohibition, home and other departments will soon make a decision on licences to 19 more liquor stores, to reinforce tourism. The choice used to be pending because of the election code of behavior and govt wanted to steer clear of an argument as liquor is a delicate matter. Hotels sells liquor to guests from outside Gujarat and to well being permit holders from throughout the state.
The collection of liquor stores have doubled from 26 to 58. In January 2014, there have been simplest 26 liquor stores. The state govt is most likely to provide more licenses to new accommodations.
In 2015-16 and 2016-17, the Gujarat govt were given Rs 32.50 crore and Rs 38.90 crore as excise accountability and other charges on liquor offered at permit stores. This figure is expected to move Rs 45 crore in 2017-18.
Liquor permit holders expressed surprise. “The abrupt suspension of liquor permits can pose issues for holders, as they're used to managing their sicknesses particularly unstable angina, labile hypertension and insomnia with drugs and liquor. Putting a stop at the issue of permits is not a strategy to the alleged drawback of folks misusing well being grounds to get liquor permits,” mentioned Dr Vijay Bhatia, a plastic surgeon and a heart patient, who has had a well being permit for 5 years now.
Bhadresh Shethiya, a 49-year-old permit holder, mentioned, “The govt cannot take such arbitrary choices as a result of scientific practitioners are advising patients to try this. Those within the 40-50 years age-group are supposed to get permits renewed each and every two years. Thankfully mine used to be renewed final 12 months but this can be a time-consuming procedure. Most frequently renewal of a permit takes about two months.”
Hoteliers who have permit liquor stores on their premises, alternatively, say that majority of their revenue in most cases comes from well being permit holders. “85% to 90% of revenue at a permit shop comes from well being permit holders, as they buy liquor continuously. As permits are issued on well being grounds the federal government should re-verify documents as a substitute of randomly enforcing any such blanket ban.”
Gujarat halts issue, renewal of health liquor permits
Reviewed by Kailash
on
March 22, 2018
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