New excise policy will come into force from Sept 1

Vijayawada : The State government issued notification on the new excise policy on Friday as the existing bar licences will expire on June 30. In order to have a holistic policy and transparent selection process two months time is provided for selection of new bars. As such, the new excise policy will come into force from September 1, 2022. However, the government has decided not to increase the number of bars in the State. As per the orders, the government has decided to limit the number of bars to 840 to reduce liquor consumption.

The selection will be carried out through auction-cum-drawl of lots. The licences for all the bars under the limits of municipal corporations, municipalities or nagar panchayats shall be available for auction. The licence fee for 3 star hotels stands at Rs 5 lakh and the non-refundable registration charge is Rs 50 lakh per annum. The new excise policy will remain in force for three years. A three-member committee consisting of Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise, Commissioner of Distilleries and Additional Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise will oversee the entire process of allocation of bars in a transparent manner, according to Special Chief Secretary to government Rajat Bhargava.