Liquor ban: 1,332 licences up for renewal in Goa’s villages

PANAJI: Around 1,332 excise licences of establishments in the villages of Goa—not renewed after the Supreme Court order in December 2016—may be renewed this year. The apex court, in a recent order, has given state governments discretion to decide on whether areas covered by local self-governing bodies or areas adjacent to municipal areas should be exempted from its 2016 order banning sale of liquor within 500m of highways.
An excise official said renewal of liquor licences begins from March 1, and it is for the government to decide whether it wants to renew 1,300-odd licenses or not. “We will have to wait till then,” he said. The officer added that the maximum licences are located in Ponda (215) and Salcete (156).



Another senior government official said that though there has been no move in this regard so far, it is highly unlikely that the government will turn down requests from affected parties if they are received. “After all, the excise department is one of the highest revenue earning departments,” he said.



After the first Supreme Court order in 2016, a survey conducted by the government to determine liquor outlets coming under the ambit of the order, found around 3,200 outlets listed in the prohibited area which were not renewed in 2017. Those located in municipal areas were renewed subsequent to modification to the Supreme Court order, nonetheless.

The officer said the number of licences were reduced after the apex court order. The number dropped to around 9,000 but it is expected to go up. Besides issuing new licences, all those establishments in villages will also be up for renewed. “Every year, close to 200 new liquor licences are granted,” he said.