This story is from May 27, 2020

Madhya Pradesh: Liquor shops shut as high court hears traders' plea today

As a majority of the liquor shops were closed on Tuesday, a day before the hearing in the high court on May 27, controversies pertaining to the trade over the last three weeks have come a full circle.
Madhya Pradesh: Liquor shops shut as high court hears traders' plea today
File photo used for representational purpose
BHOPAL: As a majority of the liquor shops were closed on Tuesday, a day before the hearing in the high court on May 27, controversies pertaining to the trade over the last three weeks have come a full circle.
On May 4, when the cash-starved state government forced liquor traders to reopen the shops, they refused and filed a petition. From May 4 to May 26 , the government issued many circulars in an attempt to cajole the trades to open shops in some areas.
But on Tuesday, the shops were shut down again.
"More than 80% shops were shut down in Madhya Pradesh," said Rahul Jaiswal, spokesman of the liquor traders' association of MP.
Prior to this, the shopkeepers also refused to open the liquor outlets in Indore and Bhopal among other red zone areas where the coronavirus-induced lockdown is in force.
Liquor sales never picked up ever since the shops were opened, thus vindicating our stand, Jaiswal said, adding, the sales were below 60%, leading to huge loss of revenue. "How would you expect the traders to deposit the large sums of excise duty when the corresponding sales were very less?" he said.
Excise commissioner Rajeev Chandra Dube said the government had hiked liquor price by 10% to compensate the loss of revenue.
On May 23, the excise department had issued a set of orders, and non-compliance would automatically render the traders as defaulters, leading to the closing down of the shops in the last two days, the spokesman said.
The liquor contractors in Madhya Pradesh filed a petition in the high court against the state government order to open the liquor shops from May 5.
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