Odisha orders ban on sale of liquor during Panchayat Polls

Bhubaneswar: In response to the directive of the State Election Commission (SEC), the Odisha Excise department today issued a ban on sale and purchase of liquor during the upcoming Panchayat polls in the State.

As per the directions of the Excise Commissioner Prasant Kumar Senapati to all district collectors, no purchase and sale of liquor will be allowed from 2 days prior to the polls till the day following the elections. Liquor sales will be prohibited in Hotels, guest houses, eateries, and any other public and private places coming under the block or the Zilla Parishad zone.

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The Excise department has also asked the district collectors to ensure prohibition of purchase, sale and movement of excise commodities.

“There will be a ban on sale of all excise commodities from 48 hours ahead of the Panchayat elections till the following day. Our mobile squads are undertaking raids in various districts,” said Deputy Excise Commissioner, MK Dash.

Moreover, the Excise department will carry out strict checks on liquor business during the polls and issue another guideline to this effect soon, he added.