No dry days in Didi's land: West Bengal allows bars to serve alcohol 365 days

In news that will raise cheer in West Bengal, the state government has given permission to bars in three-star hotels and above to serve liquor 365 days a year. The state government has also decreased the number of dry days to four and a half from 12. A notification issued by the government said: "All categories of retail excise licensed outlets/premises for the sale of country spirit.... foreign liquor or other kind of liquor or intoxicant, except bars attached to hotels graded 3-star or above and clubs, shall be kept closed and during the hours as detailed in the table below.”

An industrialist told The Telegraph: “Everyone knows that liquor would be available on dry days if one is willing to pay extra. Besides, people stock up for dry days in advance. Then, what's the need for dry days?”

It seems that the TMC government is willing to be slightly less pragmatic approach in their second term. A liquor industry veteran said: “Fewer dry days would not have much revenue impact.... At most, the state's earning would go up by around Rs 100 crore. But what's important in the announcement is a change in attitude and that's encouraging.”