Police to crack down on liquor off-shops

CUTTACK: Even as Commissionerate Police has intensified its drive against drunken driving, the focus has now shifted to the liquor shops and vends which are illegally allowing drinking on their premises.The Traffic Management Committee meeting under the chairmanship of Commissioner Sunil Roy on Friday decided to crack down on such shops which despite having “off-shop licences” are permitting people to consume the liquor there itself. As per the licences, off-shops are only meant to sell liquor bottles while on-shop licencees have permission to allow drinking on their premises.Attending his first meeting after assuming the post of Commissioner, Roy stated that proactive measures were needed to tackle the increasing problems of drunken driving. The illegal drinking sheds put up by the off-shop licensed liquor outlets to boost sales is the main cause. A crackdown would be launched against such illegal shops and those found violating the rules will be sealed. The High Court and the Excise Commissioner would be approached to cancel their licence.The Committee also decided to step up measures for ensuring compliance to the orders of the High Court on development of the Badambadi bus terminus and inter-district terminals of Angul, Paradip and Puri.Bus Terminals: A sub-committee comprising DCP Cuttack, ACP Traffic,Municipal Corporation officials, members of the High Court- appointed Advocate’s Committee will visit the bus terminals on Tuesday to take stock of the measures proposed for the overall development by the OSRTC before the ensuing monsoon.The committee, which had recently inspected the conditions of the bus stands, presented a scathing report on the prevailing situation. Badambadi bus stand, the major bus terminus of the State, which sees a commuting traffic of more than a lakh daily, is languishing in dire neglect.Passengers and commuters are facing a harrowing time as the bus stand does not even have a waiting hall for them. There is no lavatory or drinking water facilities. The whole bus stand space is completely under the grip of encroachers, who have not spared even the erstwhile waiting hall.The atmosphere and conditions are unhygienic and completely unfit for human use. No action has been taken by the authorities and OSRTC to improve conditions, the report stated indicating similar problems in all the other bus stands nearby.

Original news source