MP govt eases rules on resort bars near forests

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government Saturday unveiled its new excise policy boosting tourism and hospitality in the state by easing conditions on issuing bar licences to hotels and resorts that have come up in the vicinity of national parks and forests.

The state cabinet which met here under the chairmanship of chief minister Kamal Nath decided to issue bar licences to hotels and resorts set up near forests, provided they have a minimum of five rooms.

Earlier, hotels and resorts set up near national parks and forests were granted bar licences only if they had a minimum of ten rooms.

Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting, state law minister P.C. Sharma said that the decision to ease conditions on the opening of bars in hotels and resorts coming up near forests would give a fillip to the tourism and hospitality industry in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

The state cabinet also decided to do away with the policy of mandatory licence fee of Rs 5 lakh for the opening of bars in these hotels and resorts, and imposed a variable bar licence fee structure with a minimum fee of Rs 1.5 lakh.

The Opposition BJP however slammed the Kamal Nath government for promoting sale of liquor in the name of helping tourism.