JAIPUR: The election fever appears to have spread to policymaking in Rajasthan. The latest excise policy in the desert state provides registered voters the right to shut down any undesirable liquor shop in their city's ward or village panchayat circle through a formal process of voting.
It is an important amendment and clarification of a similar rule in the past to acknowledge the "right of voters to decide whether an alcohol shop should be there in the vicinity", said principal secret (finance), Subhash Chandra Garg.
"A liquor shop in any panchayat or in ward of an Urban Local Body shall be closed if the voters opt for such closure with not less than fifty one percent of total number of voters (living in the panchayat circle or ward's jurisdiction) voting for closure of the shop in the manner specified in these rules," the notification released by the finance (excise) department on April 1 said. "Such shop shall be closed from the first day of commencement of the year of the year immediately following the day on which such voting takes place," it added.
Excise department officials said the government's stringent regulation of liquor sales is in keeping with the influence of abstinence related ideas propagated by religious and community leaders. The previous Vasundhara Raje-led government's rule of letting liquor shops stay open for 14 hours a day was slashed to 10 hours by the Ashok Gehlot government. This year's policy continues to retain administrative leash over the sale of liquor.
The provision of letting 51% voters decide the closure of liquor shops is therefore of a piece with the efforts of the successive state governments.
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