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Mumbai: For a state that lifted prohibition over 35 years ago, this must be the first of its kind. The State Excise Department has sold 5 million liquor permits to a population of 12 million Mumbaikars in just two days!
The `brilliant` idea to over taxed Mumbaikars came from the State excise Minister Ganesh Naik.
The idea resulted in an amendment to the Bombay prohibition act 1949. Now you require a daily permit costing Rs 2 a day if you drink country liquor and Rs 5 a day if you drink the rest of liquor manufactured in India and described with a fancy name of `Indian Made foreign liquor`.
25 lakh coupons each of country liquor and, each costing Rs 2 and Rs 5 respectively were issued to enable the tipplers to have their daily quota of liquor.
Over 50 lakh liquor permits were sold out within a couple of days after their introduction following the amendment. The Bombay Prohibition Act, now, stipulates a fine of Rs 5,000 or a jail sentence of 6 months if you imbibe liquor without paying 5 bucks to the government! People wanting to avoid the sleuths of excise department harassing them while holding parties or celebrating in hotels and bars have bought the daily permits in bulk.
Now the excise department is faced with the task of placing fresh orders for the coupons at the government printing press. What is interesting that the drunkards are following the rule of possessing permit with almost religious fervor!
Many areas of South Mumbai, including Colaba, and also Sion and Mahim, have stolen a march over the suburbs if one-day liquor permits issued by the state excise department are anything to go by While the city has gobbled up more than three times the party permits for the New Year festivities, as compared to last year, the suburbs might just break even with last year's figures.
Response to the liquor permit system in Bandra, Mulund and Dahisar, is no less enthusiastic with the liquor vendors. For any violation of the same invites stringent monetary..
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