SC ban on liquor sale: Odisha to lose Rs 1200 crore per annum

Bhubaneswar: Following the Supreme order banning liquor sale along highways, Odisha is likely to incur a loss of revenue to the tune of Rs 1200 crore per annum.

A total of 1167 liquor shops in the state have been closed down following the ban on the sale of liquor along the national and state highways.

The 1167 liquor shops closed down from midnight of March 31 included 456 off shops, 205 restaurants on shops, 60 hotel onshop, 74 country spirit shops, 51 beer parlour on shops, 9 out still shops, 311 out still branch shops and one military canteen, official sources said.

“The state is likely to lose Rs 1200 crore per annum plus VAT if these 1167 liquor shops remain closed for the year,” a senior official in the Excise department said.

He said that the state had set a target of earning above Rs 3300 crore as excise revenue in 2017-18 fiscal.