Kumaraswamy to shelve government proposal to enable online sale of liquor

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Friday said he would shelve the proposal mooted during the tenure of the previous government to enable online sale and home delivery of liquor. "After seeing media reports on the issue this morning, I spoke to officials over the phone. It (proposal) was mooted during the tenure of the previous government before I became Chief Minister," he told reporters here.

Kumaraswamy said there were discussions about implementing it at the officials' level. The chief minister said that as soon as he got to know about the issue, he directed the officials concerned to stop it immediately.

"I have asked for a file on decisions taken in this regard during the tenure of the previous government... we will not allow things so that certain people make money," he added.

There were reports in a section of the media that the state government was mulling over the proposal on lines with what neighbouring Maharashtra had attempted recently, with an aim to boost excise revenue and curb drunken driving cases. However, retailers in Karnataka are said to have expressed opposition to the proposal at a meeting of stakeholders. The Maharashtra government recently said it had decided to allow the online sale and home delivery of liquor in the state, but later stated that only a proposal in this regard had been received, apparently fearing a backlash from opposition parties and anti-liquor activists over the announcement.

(With inputs from agencies.)