No provision to revoke liquor licences through municipal resolutions: Ajit Pawar tells assembly

Mumbai, Jul 8 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday told the assembly there was no legal provision under existing rules that allowed municipal corporations to pass resolutions revoking liquor licences within their jurisdiction.

Any such resolution cannot be considered valid, Pawar clarified during a debate regarding "prohibition" in Kharghar area of Navi Mumbai.

The deputy CM, who holds finance and state excise portfolios, noted that if a formal petition is submitted to the government as per prescribed procedure seeking liquor prohibition in a specific area, such as Kharghar, necessary action will be taken in accordance with existing rules.

Prashant Thakur, the BJP MLA from Panvel in Raigad district, had given a calling attention notice regarding cancellation of liquor licences in Kharghar and declaring it an alcohol-free zone.

The Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) had passed a resolution in 2023 declaring Kharghar as a no liquor zone. The government should cancel liquor licences in the node, which comes under the PMC, and uphold the essence of the corporation's resolution, Thakur maintained.

"While our personal view is that nobody should consume alcohol, citizens in a democracy are free to make their own choices," Pawar noted, adding that in some districts of Maharashtra and in other states, prohibition had been implemented in the past.

However, instances have emerged where youths from dry districts in the state procure liquor from neighbouring areas and engage in illegal distribution, he said.

Since 1972, no new liquor licences have been granted in the state though transfers of existing licences from one location to another are permitted following due procedure, he told the lower house.

According to government notifications issued in 2008 and 2009, if not less than 25 per cent of the total voters or women electors in a ward of a municipal council or corporation submit a written request for enforcing prohibition, the District Collector is required to conduct a secret ballot.

If more than 50 per cent of the total voters or women electors vote in favour of a liquor ban, orders will be issued to cancel liquor licences in that area, as per the notifications.

The government further said that after a gram panchayat is upgraded to a municipal council or corporation, necessary amendments have been made from time to time regarding the regulation of liquor licences.

The government reiterated that the decision to cancel liquor licences is based not on the opinion of citizens present at meetings but on the majority vote of over 50 per cent of the total registered voters or women voters in the concerned ward. PTI MR RSY