The West Bengal government on Monday announced new restrictions on the licensing of liquor shops, barring fresh licences for premises located within a one-kilometre radius of educational institutions, hospitals or religious places, according to the state budget.
The budget states that "no licence for liquor shop shall henceforth be granted to the proposed premises" if they fall within this distance from such sites, marking a tightening of the rules governing where new liquor outlets can be set up across the state.
For areas falling under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), the budget specifies a relaxed minimum distance requirement of 500 metres, rather than the 1 km norm applicable elsewhere in the state, accounting for the denser, more space-constrained nature of licensing in the city.
The move is aimed at curbing the proliferation of liquor outlets near sensitive locations such as schools, colleges, hospitals and places of worship, where the presence of liquor shops in close proximity has often drawn criticism from local residents, parents' associations and religious groups.
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Such restrictions are typically intended to reduce easy access to alcohol for students and minimise disturbances near medical facilities and religious sites, while also addressing law-and-order concerns that authorities say can arise around liquor outlets situated close to crowded public institutions.
The new rule applies to future licensing decisions, meaning existing liquor shops already operating within the restricted radius are not immediately affected, though the provision sets a clearer benchmark for authorities reviewing fresh applications going forward.
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