The Lucknow district administration has prohibited the consumption of liquor outside or near liquor shops, following the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. District Magistrate Surya Pal Gangwar has directed liquor vendors to ensure that there is no consumption of liquor in places other than those that have been awarded the required permission by the departments concerned. The district magistrate said that consumption of liquor in public places, parking spaces outside liquor vends and on the roadside is strictly prohibited.
“Liquor should not be consumed by parking vehicles outside liquor shops or standing near vends, which may cause inconvenience to the general public and may disturb the public peace and law and order situation. Any person found to be violating this would face strictest legal action which may include fine. Besides the administration has also imposed a limit on the sale of liquor. According to the administration, while the prescribed limit for the sale of country-made local liquor. According to the administration, while the prescribed limit for the sale of country-made local liquor — BIO and bottled in India (BII) category is 4.5 litre per person for imported foreign liquor brands. “Likewise, only 2.5 litres of wine and six litres of beer in both BIO and BII category can be sold to an individual.
Earlier, the Delhi government declared dry days on account of the Lok Sabha elections and religious festivals during April-June.An order issued by the excise department said that the liquor stores in Delhi will be closed on Id-ul-Fitr (April 11), Ram Navami (April 17), Mahavir Jayanti (April 21), Buddha Purnima (May 23), and Id-ul-Zuha (June 17). All the licensees will exhibit the dry day order at some conspicuous place of their licensed premises. In a notification issued recently, the department said that dry day will be observed (before 48 hours of end of poll) from 6 PM of April 24 to 6 PM of April 26 on account of Lok Sabha polls in Baghpat, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar districts of Uttar Pradesh. It will be applicable for all the licensees whose vends/premises are situated within 100 metres of the border with Baghpat, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar districts of Uttar Pradesh.
In a separate notification the excise department said that different kinds of liquor stores and other licensed premises in the National Capital Territory of Delhi will be closed (before 48 hours of end of poll) from 6 PM of May 23 to 6 PM of May 25 due to voting in the seven Lok Sabha seats in the city.The liquor stores in the city will also be closed on June 4 (full day) when the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls will be held, it added.