Excise minister Sashi Bhusan Behera on Monday clarified that only hotels with lodging facilities could keep bars open past midnight during the period the hockey world cup is held in the city.
Earlier, the state government in a notification had said that liquor shops would remain open past midnight (1.30am) in Bhubaneswar because of the hockey world cup. It had also been decided that if national and international events were organised in municipal corporation areas and also in Puri, the liquor shops would remain open till midnight.
However, the move triggered widespread protest, forcing the state government to withdraw on Monday the notification it had issued on November 20. “It is an inadvertent error. Our objective is not to earn money, but to provide liquor to foreign guests who will be coming to witness the hockey world cup. The order will remain in force till December 20 only,” said Behera.
An excise official said: “The restaurants and bars will remain open till 12 midnight. The off shops will, however, shut at 10.30pm.”
Anti-liquor activists had opposed the state government’s decision to keep open liquor shops past midnight. On Monday they held a protest rally in Bhubaneswar near the Master Canteen Square.
“We have no objection if the state government provides liquor to foreigners. They can have liquor in their hotels, but off shops should not remain open beyond the prescribed hour. We had demanded that excise minister should come and take our views,” said an anti-liquor activist.
Official sources said the police on Monday heaved a sigh of relief following withdrawal of the notification. “The Kalinga Stadium is located near Salia Sahi, the state’s biggest slum. If liquor shops remained open for extra hours, it would have certainly created a bigger law and order problem. The peaceful organisation of hockey event is linked to the state’s prestige. We should work hard to keep the prestige intact. Any such move to keep liquor shops open for longer hours would have made our job tougher,” said a police officer, who didn’t want to be named.