Karnataka allows bars, restaurants to clear liquor stock

Karnataka on Friday allowed clubs, bars and restaurants to clear their existing stock of liquor in ‘takeaway’ form at the maximum retail price till May 17.

An order by the Excise Department has allowed the conditional sale of liquor from such establishments only till the stocks lasted, and also permitted takeaways of food.

The order came after several petitions by various associations of bars and hotels, who raised concerns that their stock will have to be destroyed if drinks such as beer - which has a shelf life of six months - are not sold.

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The order is applicable to CL-4 (clubs), CL-7 (hotels and lodges) and CL-9 (bar) license holders.

The establishments will have to fulfil several conditions, such as the sale of sealed bottles only, transporting liquor stocks to CL-2 (MRP) outlets, maintaining social distancing during the sale and others. The order is not applicable to outlets in containment zones.

Clubs, bars and restaurants cannot procure fresh liquor stocks from the Karnataka State Beverage Corporation Ltd (KSBCL) during the period.

The government had allowed the sale of liquor at MRP stores from May 4, resulting in serpentine queues at such outlets throughout the state. Following the same, a delegation of bar and restaurant owners had petitioned the government to allow the sale of liquor at bars and restaurants.

Rumours

Excise department officials have dismissed rumours of possible closure of all liquor outlets from next week. "There are several rumours doing rounds on social media about the sale of liquor in the state. The general public should not heed any such rumours," Venkat Raja, Additional Commissioner of Excise, said.