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| Listen to JWTA | | | The Draft Excise Policy for 2021-22 has drawn flak from the stakeholders. They have termed it as arbitrary aimed at wiping out the small traders from the trade.
The Draft Excise Policy states that anyone who wants to participate in the e-auction for liquor-vend would have to provide an evaluation certificate of land to the tune of Rs 50 lakhs from tehsildar. This clause seems to be aimed at keeping the small time traders away from the bidding process.
Jammu Wine Traders Association (JWTA) has rejected draft of the new policy and has sought the intervention of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Kumar Sinha into the issue.
Many small time traders have been into liquor business for a longtime and it’s their only source of income. There are nearly 30000 people dependent on this trade. These small time traders will have to look for some other recourse if the evaluation certificate of land worth Rs 50 lakh becomes mandatory to participate in the e-bidding.
Many traders, who are associated with the liquor business, will be left to fend on their own and the sale of liquor, through which government earns huge revenue, will fall into the hands of a few big businessmen, who will dictate terms to the people associated with this trade.
In other states and union territories procedure to acquire liquor license has been simplified in the past few years, but in Jammu and Kashmir it seems that the administration wants to make it tough. The stake holders are alleging that it is being done to benefit a few people and it would lead to these few people having a monopoly over this business.
Traders, who are holding the liquor licenses at present, had become ineligible for the government job on the very day they acquired the license. Most of them are not rich and don’t own land worth Rs 50 lakhs. They run their businesses on day to day basis. If the new policy is implemented these people will be left with nothing to do.
One fails to understand why the helmsmen want to disturb the existing system. The ones who have framed the draft of the new liquor policy have not given any reasons for changing the system. They need to explain why they have made it mandatory for the bidders to have land worth Rs 50 lakh.
If the new Excise Policy is implemented it will render thousands of people jobless and would push such an important business into the hands of only a few people. The government should listen to what JWTA is saying and address the genuine concerns of these traders by keeping the old system intact. |
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