The Madhya Pradesh excise officer has issued an order, directing liquor sellers to mandatorily maintain a cash memo and issue bills to buyers from 1 September.
As per the order, the move is aimed at curbing the illicit sale of liquor.
“For redressal of complaints related to the sale of liquor/purchase of liquor, it is mandatory for country/foreign liquor shops to issue bills to the buyer as per the amount paid by him,” the order reads.
A carbon copy of the bill book in use should be kept by the licensee at the liquor shop till the end of the contract period i.e. 31 March 2022, it added.
This comes days after the Madhya Pradesh Assembly passed a bill prescribing capital punishment and life imprisonment in cases related to deaths caused by consumption of spurious liquor.
The bill amending the state excise act to enhance punishment in spurious liquor cases was presented by finance and excise minister Jagdish Devda, and the legislation comes in the wake of death of a dozen people recently.
The Madhya Pradesh Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was proposed by the state government in the backdrop of death of at least seven people after drinking spurious liquor in Mandsaur last month.
Later, five persons died following liquor consumption in Indore.
Under the bill, provisions of life imprisonment and the death penalty have been made in cases related to deaths due to spurious liquor besides imposing a fine of ₹20 lakh on culprits.
Earlier, there was a provision of imprisonment up to 10 years in such cases.