Excise officials instruct bar owners to remove display boards of liquor brands ahead of polls

BENGALURU: The State Excise Department officials are going around visiting bars in the city and instructing the owners to remove any display and advertisements of liquor brands ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

The schedule for the 2023 Assembly elections can be announced any time soon and the Excise Department is also on alert. It has planned to take action against bars if they have liquor in excess of the allocated quantity and officials are also getting advertisement boards of alcohol brands removed from in front of bars and pubs in the city. In some places, the officials have given some time to remove the display boards and banners.

The Excise Department officials instructed owners of bars to remove advertisements of liquor brands ahead of the Assembly polls.

According to Excise Department regulations, no advertisements related to the alcohol brands can be put up, but they are visible on most of the signboards of bars in all the eight zones of the city. The officials visited those bars and pubs and instructed them to remove the boards displaying advertisements as they encourage consumption of alcohol.

The officials have cleared the boards from different places in the city including Kalyan Nagar, Banaswadi, Hebbal and MG Road. Cases will be filed against bar owners who do not remove signboard of alcohol brands even after being instructed by the officials.

“The Excise Department has given an instruction not to put up any display or advertising boards ahead of the Assembly elections. We have covered it. The officials visited the bar and informed us about it. If we don’t remove it, we will be fined”, said Shivu, a bar manager.