The Excise and Taxation Department of the Government of Haryana notifies the Haryana Liquor License (Second Amendment) Rules, 2020. These Rules were notified on 4th August, 2020 and are intended to amend the Haryana Liquor License Rules, 1970.
The following are some of the highlights of the Amendment:
- Rule 36A deals with the lifting of the annual quota of Country Liquor or Indian Made Foreign Liquor on a quarterly basis by licensee of a retail liquor outlet. The amendment has changed the schedule for the lifting of the annual quota on a quarterly basis by specifying the period of each quarter and prescribing the basic quota percentages for each quarter. Prior to this amendment, the period of each quarter was defined in months and had no specified period. The quotas were also fixed month-wise. The amendment does away with the prior schedule. However, the cumulative quota remains unchanged.
Furthermore, the amendment introduces a relation in terms of penalty for failure to lift prescribed quarterly quota. This relaxation is in view of the current circumstances. The prior provision which allowed the licensee to transfer his quota has also been omitted by virtue of this amendment.
- A licensed retail liquor outlet must not be established at a distance of less than 150 meters from the main gate of a recognized school/college/main bus stand and a place of worship. However, Excise Commissioner can relax such distance for 150 meters to 75 meters on the recommendations of Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (Excise).
Prior to this amendment, a retail liquor outlet could not be established within a distance less than 100 meters in rural areas and 50 meters in urban areas from the main gate of a recognized school/college/main bus stand and a place of worship.
- Furthermore, sub-rule 24 of Rule 36A, deals with deposits of security amount equal to 20% of the annual license fee of the Zone of vends. The amendment requires deposits to be made as follows:
- 5% of the license fee shall be deposited on the day of evaluation of e-bids;
- 5% of the license fee within seven days of the allotment on or before 31st March, 2020 whichever is earlier;
- further 5% of the license fee shall be deposited by 15th May, 2020 and
- final 5% of the license fee shall be deposited by 20th May, 2020 due to unforeseen outbreak of pandemic COVID-19.
Before this amendment, the last two 5% of the license fees were clubbed together and were to be deposited by 7th of April, 2020.
Moreover, 83% of his bid money shall be payable by him in ten equal instalments of 8.3% each, beginning from June, 2020 and payable by 15th of each month and every subsequent month.
Prior to the amendment, this amount was payable by monthly instalments each to be paid by the 20th of each month.
