Meghalaya Puts Wine Shop Licences on Hold, New Mechanism Soon Says Excise Minister Kyrmen Shylla

Meghalaya Puts Wine Shop Licences on Hold: The placement of wine shops is being scrutinised to ensure regulatory compliance.

The Meghalaya Excise Department has temporarily suspended the issuance of new licenses for wine shops and bonded warehouses as it plans to introduce a new mechanism to streamline the licensing process. Minister-in-charge Kyrmen Shylla announced that the department is conducting a thorough study to assess the need for additional liquor outlets, taking into account the concerns of existing shop owners who claim that an oversaturation of stores has adversely affected their sales.

According to Shylla, the department aims to identify the locations of IMFL retail shops to determine whether the number of outlets needs to be increased. “We want to see where these IMFL retail shops are located. We may have to increase their number,” Kyrmen Shylla said.

Additionally, the placement of wine shops is being scrutinised to ensure regulatory compliance and evaluate factors such as demand and location viability before issuing any new licenses.

No new permits have been granted near educational institutions or places of worship, as the government adheres strictly to existing guidelines. The department continues to rely on No Objection Certificates (NOC) from local headmen to ensure community consent.

Commenting on the situation along the stretch from Polo to Nongmensong, where numerous wine shops coexist, Shylla acknowledged receiving complaints from shop owners regarding declining sales due to increased competition.

“We will study the matter and come up with a new mechanism. However, we cannot relocate the existing ones until they themselves want to relocate,” he stated.

While the government plans to address these issues through a revamped mechanism, Shylla clarified that relocating existing shops remains unfeasible unless the shop owners voluntarily decide to move.

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