No Spirits in MP Spiritual Cities from April
A body of other changes also come into effect with the new policy
Bhopal
Come April and Madhya Pradesh will shut down liquor shops in 19 religious towns and villages, and to cover expected revenue losses, the government plans to raise prices by up to 25% in other shops across the affected districts.
In addition, people will only be able to purchase alcohol after making payments through Point of Sale (POS) machines. All liquor stores will be required to install POS machines, and alcohol bottles will need to be scanned via barcode before billing. Stores failing to comply with this rule could face fines of up to Rs 35,000.
The new policy will also allow restaurants and bars to serve alcohol on additional floors and open terraces, provided the extra space is at least 500 square feet. A 10% increase in licence fees will be applied for each additional floor.
This rule will apply not only to restaurants and bars but also to low-alcoholic beverage bars, enabling them to offer alcohol in open areas if they meet the set conditions.
Furthermore, the government has introduced a separate licensing structure for commercial events where alcohol will be served.
The fee for the licence will depend on the number of people attending the event, ranging from Rs 25,000 for 500 attendees to Rs 2,00,000 for events with more than 5,000 participants.
These changes aim to provide more flexibility for restaurants and event organisers while streamlining alcohol distribution.
