Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Tuesday amended the Odisha Excise (Amendment) Rules, 2024, allowing bars to hold orchestra and musical programmes.
The notification issued by the Excise Department further stated that women, not below 21 years of age, can be engaged in musical programmes or orchestra in the licensed ON shop premises having a bar license to sell foreign liquor and IMFL for consummation on the premise with prior written permission of the Excise Commissioner.
The Excise Commissioner, however, will be imposing some restrictions before granting the permission and these include:
>> CCTV cameras at appropriate places, including the performance stage, on the premises of dance bars while ensuring that these cannot be tampered with and remain switched on round-the-clock.
>> The recorded footage of the CCTV camera have to be made available to the IIC of the concerned police station and officer-in-charge of Excise Station.
>> If the cameras don’t function, the concerned bar owner must immediately inform the concerned OIC of the Excise Station and the concerned police station.
>> There will be no orchestra or musical programme if the cameras become defunct.
>> The owners must maintain records of the names and addresses of women performing in musical programmes and orchestras.
>> Performers should wear clothes in accordance with public decency.
Also Read: Dance Bar Ban: What Should Odisha Govt Learn From Maharashtra Experience?
Notably, Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan in August had said that all dance bars across the state would be shut down. However, a month later, the new excise policy for 2024-25 financial year, which will remain in effect from September 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, or till the introduction of a new policy, allowed musical performance and orchestra in licensed liquor shops in the state, while banning dance performances.
