Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Gujarat and Bihar are having total ban on sale, transportation and consumption of liquor as they are having the prohibition act but Madhya Pradesh is having the excise act.

Henceforth, there could be ban on sale of liquor in any specific areas such as 17 religious places declared by the government on Friday but there could be no ban on consumption of liquor in individual capacity.

Excise Commissioner, Abhijeet Agrawal said that as the state is not liquor prohibitory state like Bihar and Gujarat, hence as per legal point of view in current situation, there is no law to prohibit any one from consuming liquor in individual capacity.

Notably the New Liquor Policy issued by the government on Friday only speaks about closing liquor shops and bars in limits of 17 religious urban bodies including Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Orchha, Maihar, Chitrakoot, Datia, Panna, Mandla, Multai and Mandsaur and gram panchayat limits of Salkanpur, Kundalpur, Bandakpur, Barmankalan, Linga and Barmankhurdh (Narsinghpur).

But it did not speak about action in case of liquor consumption in religious cities. It is silent in this regard. As far as Gujarat and Bihar are concerned they are having prohibition act and in Madhya Pradesh, there is Excise Act.

LoP targets government

Leader of Opposition (LoP) Umang Singhar took government on target over banning sale of liquor in 17 religious cities by stating that the government shall have done liquor prohibition in the entire district area of religious cities. He added that what is the sense of banning sale of liquor, if persons can get it at a distance of two kilometres.