Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government’s liquor shop licence lottery has triggered massive enthusiasm across the State, with thousands of applicants investing large sums in the hope of securing a lucrative business opportunity. While a few successful applicants are celebrating their fortunes, many others have been left facing significant financial losses after failing to secure licences.
This year, applicants were required to pay non-refundable fees of Rs 2 lakh for a country liquor shop licence and Rs 3 lakh for a foreign liquor shop licence. Despite the steep costs, the prospect of operating a liquor outlet attracted a record number of applicants. Many reportedly mortgaged gold jewellery, borrowed money, or applied through multiple family members to improve their chances.
One of the biggest setbacks was suffered by Sarbeswar Das of Baisinga in Mayurbhanj district. Das, who had been operating a foreign liquor shop in Baisinga market for the past five years, submitted four applications to retain his business. He reportedly raised nearly Rs 12 lakh by mortgaging family jewellery but failed to secure a licence. As the application fees are non-refundable, he lost both the money invested and the business he had been running.
“As it was our business and our family is dependent on it, we mortgaged family jewellery and took a chance. However, we had to face set back due to the government system,” said Das.
In contrast, Sheikh Sajan’s gamble paid off. To improve his odds, he reportedly submitted more than 25 applications in the names of family members, investing over Rs 75 lakh. His strategy succeeded when his name was selected in the lottery, bringing celebrations to his family. “We had submitted more than 20 applications and my wife turned out to be lucky for me as she won the lottery,” said Sheikh Sajan.
Similarly, Sadhana Mallick of Balasore successfully retained the liquor outlet she had been operating. “My husband had applied in my name and I won the lottery,” said Sadhana Mallick.
The scale of competition was evident across Odisha. The No. 1 liquor counter in Soro, Balasore, submitted 109 applications, while Bhadrak’s Motto and Tihidi liquor shops submitted 65 applicants each. The Gadadeulia outlet in Mayurbhanj saw 25 contenders competing for a single licence.
The overwhelming response also generated substantial revenue for the State government. Balasore recorded 585 applicants for 54 liquor shops, generating nearly Rs 16.5 crore in fees. Mayurbhanj saw 357 applicants for 56 outlets, contributing around Rs 10 crore, while Bhadrak’s 640 applicants for 49 shops generated over Rs 17 crore. In Bolangir, 532 applicants competed for 21 shops, bringing in nearly Rs 15 crore.
Rourkela witnessed one of the highest levels of competition, with 940 applications received for 32 foreign liquor outlets. With each applicant paying Rs 3 lakh, the government collected approximately Rs 28.2 crore from these applications alone.
The surge in applications comes after the government increased the participation fee from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh for country liquor shops and Rs 3 lakh for foreign liquor outlets. Despite the hike, record participation highlighted the perceived profitability of the liquor trade in Odisha.
“A total of Rs 17.53 crore has been collected towards application fees in the district. The applicants have submitted non-refundable fees of Rs 2 lakh for a country liquor shop licence and Rs 3 lakh for a foreign liquor shop licence,” said Bhadrak Excise Superintendent Narottam Mishra.
Comments are closed.