CLP divided over NOC for liquor outlets

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MAY 25.

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) is sharply divided over the issue of retaining the provision of ``No Objection Certificate'' (NOC) for opening up of liquor outlets in the Capital. The general feeling is that this provision should be waived to ensure transparency for bidding by private players.

Insiders in the Delhi Government said the Finance Ministry had finalised the new Excise Policy and it is expected to come up for Cabinet approval on May 28 when the Finance Minister, Mr. Mahinder Singh Saathi, who is away on a vacation, will return to the Capital. The revised policy has been prepared in consultation with elected representatives and other sections, including the party leadership, which had made valuable suggestions.

Sources said during the interaction with MLAs, the division within the CLP over the issue came to light. Many legislators felt the NOC controversy had done much harm to the party's image and had even lowered the reputation of MLAs in the eyes of the public. The way a few MLAs fought over the issue, had given the impression that there was more to the NOC business than what meets the eye. It is, in fact the Chief Minister's loyalists, who are in favour of NOC being retained.

Surprisingly, even Ms. Sheila Dikshit is of the strong opinion that the NOC should be done away with, as no such provision exists in any State. It was felt that with increased emphasis on privatisation, there was urgent need to remove loopholes or bottlenecks in its way and the Government should not interfere in what are ``purely business related'' matters. "The Chief Minister should stay put on the issue and in no way should she allow NOC for private players as they would be subjected to blackmail and intimidatory tactics by leaders,'' a senior MLA added.

It is felt that emphasis should be laid on ensuring total transparency for bidding by private players which are likely to be offered 45 outlets in the first phase. The most important task before the Government would be to ensure that the allotment is done in a fair manner. In addition, full guidelines should be issued to private players about the infrastructure to be installed and services expected.

On the other hand, the authorities are all set to reduce the threshold limit for the small and medium companies to enable them to sell their brands in the Capital. Not only this, there could be a revision in the brand and license fee as a large number of representations for simplifying procedures and bringing down the license fee for L-1 and L-2 licenses have been received. The stringent guidelines laid down by the previous Excise Policy, which had to be shelved, had raised much dust and had even come under sharp criticism for attempting to benefit only a few big players.

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Section  : Other States
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