Overjoyed bar owner worships minister’s photo for lifting liquor ban

CHANDRAPUR: There is a wave of joy among liquor sellers after the prohibition was revoked here after six long years. A video showing a jubilant beer bar operator carrying out ‘aarti’ of Chandrapur guardian minister Vijay Wadettiwar — who is seen as the architect of revocation of prohibition — was doing the rounds.
Former liquor licence holders have started renewing the suspended excise permits of their liquor outlets and beer bars. The state excise department has issued 308 liquor permits so far. Liquor sale is at an all-time high at all the outlets and beer bars across the district, and sellers are thankful to Wadettiwar for his initiative to withdraw the prohibition.
There is such euphoria over withdrawal of the ban that people have started venerating Wadettiwar for his deed. The beer bar operator seen in the video went to the extent of carrying out aarti of a picture (portrait) of Wadettiwar in a reputed bar and restaurant located at Lohara.
The man in the video is identified as one Ganesh Goradwar. The video pans out to show the shelf holding liquor bottles in the bar where aarti was performed. The video posted on social media has drawn a slew of comments, some censuring and others ridiculing the act of the man.
Meanwhile, instances of liquor being sold at rates higher than the maximum retail price (MRP) printed on the bottles after revocation of prohibition have come to fore in the district. Following multiple complaints received to this effect, the state excise department is set to launch a drive to curb the practice in authorized liquor shops and beer shops.
Soon after state excise department cleared the licences, many beer bars, beer shops, country liquor and foreign liquor shops were started across the district. Even after a week, a large crowd of tipplers continues to throng these places following the Covid curfew after 4 pm. Taking advantage of the same, these authorized liquor sellers have started selling liquor bottles at rates higher than the MRP.
There are complaints about liquor being sold to customers having no liquor drinking permits. The excise department is also keen on checking the sale registers of the liquor sellers to verify how liquor was sold to so many people without drinking permits.
The catch is that all the liquor consumption licences in Chandrapur had lapsed after liquor was banned in Chandrapur in 2015. As the excise department did not issue any fresh liquor drinking permits, legally no person is authorized to purchase liquor in Chandrapur. Still, all the bars and shops have bumper sales every day.