Bhubaneswar: With the mushrooming of liquor shops in the state, RTI activists allege that the ‘revenue thirsty’ Odisha government is contributing to increasing crime and road mishap deaths by promoting liquor consumption.
In an RTI response to Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan’s convener, Pradip Pradhan, the Excise Department stated that it had issued licenses to 1,952 liquor shops across the state in 2019. According to activists, this is 30% growth in number of liquor outlets as compared to 2018 when there were about 1,500 shops.
“The state recently observed 150 years of Mahatama Gandhi, who considered alcohol consumption a social evil. Contrary to the Mahatma’s vision, today liquor shops have flooded Odisha,” Pradhan alleged.
Issued under different categories, the state saw registration of 551 OS (On Sale) shops, 242 CS (Country Spirit) shops and 1,159 OS (Off Sale) shops in 2019. While the highest number (68) of On Sale shops was opened in Kalahandi district, the highest number (38) of Off Sale shops was opened in Balasore. The highest number of CS shops was opened in Ganjam last year.
Earlier, Opposition MLAs had also expressed their disappointment over the increase in liquor shops in the state.
“What kind of respect is this towards Mahatma Gandhi? The fight is now between alcohol and Omfed milk and only time will say who between the two will emerge victorious in the state. In fact, it is depressing if the state government plans to increase its revenue through liquor sale,” BJP leader Bishnu Sethi had said.
Sources at Odisha State Beverages Corporation Limited stated that the Excise revenue collection in Odisha has increased from Rs 849 crore in 2009-10 to Rs 3,925 crore in 2018-19.
Moreover, with increase in liquor consumption, the state has set a target of Rs 4,600 crore Excise revenue for the 2019-20 fiscal.