Even as various social organisations in Odisha call for total prohibition in the state, the number of liquor shops has doubled in the past 15 years, a minister said on Wednesday.
The number of liquor shops has risen from 1,798 in 2001 to 3,843 in 2015, Excise minister Damodar Rout informed the state assembly.
The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) come to power in 2000 and has been in office since last 16 years.
While the number of shops selling Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) was 753 in 2001, it has increased to 1,480 in 2015, said the minister.
He admitted that it has come to the notice of the government about the anti-liquor agitation in the state and vandalism of liquor vends by some women protesting against the sale.
--IANS
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