By Our Correspondent

Kavre, Mar. 18: Paanchkhal Municipality in Kavre district has made it mandatory for all to receive prior permission if they want to consume alcohol. The rule was enforced to ensure peace, civic duty and positivity in and around the municipality, Mayor Mahesh Kharel said.

He added that they had enacted Alcohol Regulation and Management Act to regulate the production, distribution, consumption and management of liquor in the area, and that from now onwards only the consumers having “consumer card” could buy alcohol.

The municipality has banned the minors from consuming alcohol, and an authorised consumer can take up to 180 ml (millilitres) of alcohol alongside a bottle of beer per day.

What’s more, producing and selling liquors in plastic pouches and bottles are prohibited. If someone, under the influence of alcohol, disturbs peace there, s/he will be fined with Rs. 500. If the offender is caught second time for the same reason, the fine money increases by 20 percent.The municipality has made a provision allowing one wholesale shop to run alongside five distributers (retailers).

One such distributing shops can be set up per 200 consumers, and in the neighbourhoods with less than 200 consumers, they can coordinate with other retailers. The wholesale shop can sell liquor from 7 am to 5 pm, while the consumers can buy it only within 5 pm to 8 pm.

A log book recording all selling has to be kept by the sellers. The shops cannot be set up within 200-metre distance from schools, hospitals, public places, parks, temples and NGO and INGO areas