The illegal ‘Bring Your Own Booze’ concept is making Officers rich & the Government poor? 

Mysuru: Yesterday’s fire incident has exposed the concept of ‘Bring Your Own Liquor (BYOL) or Bring Your Own Booze (BYOB),’ an illegal act which has been going on unabated at new restaurants in the city, especially along the Outer Ring Road (ORR).  

BYOB means a customer can bring his own bottle of alcohol into a restaurant even though that is an illegal act. A restaurant must have a liquor licence to serve alcohol in its premises. But in Mysuru many restaurants have reportedly been paying off the officers, instead of paying the Government a licence fee to serve liquor in their establishment.  This has been going on unabated for a few years now.  

Running without licence, clarifies Minister 

This morning when Star of Mysore (SOM) reporter questioned and informed the Urban Development Minister Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah about the rise of BYOB in Mysuru, Dr. Yathindra said, he would take action soon. 

Reacting to another query by SOM reporter, who brought to the Minister’s notice about the liquor shop beneath the restaurant which was sending alcohol to the restaurant upstairs which did not have a CL-2 licence to serve or sell alcohol, Dr. Yathindra surprisingly informed the press gathered there that according to the information he had collected from the Deputy Commissioner and City Police Commissioner, even the liquor shop that was sending alcohol upstairs did not have a                       licence to operate!  

Excise DC lies 

Interestingly, prior to the Minister’s visit, when SOM spoke to Excise Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru, Nagarajappa, he had shared some facts, which later turned out to be false. The Excise DC had lied that the liquor shop had CL-9 licence.   

Excise Deputy Commissioner Nagarajappa had said, CL-9 licence had been granted to the liquor outlet in the building, but the roof top restaurant was serving liquor, without obtaining any requisite licence.  

He even told Star of Mysore reporter that the Excise Department officials recently visited the restaurant and upon finding that liquor was being served, the owner was fined Rs. 3000. But liquor continued to be served there long after the fine.  

The menace 

In recent times, as liquor licence becomes expensive and scarce, many people have been converting old farms into open bar and restaurants without licence.  

The trend started along the Ring Road and then moved into surroundings of Vijayanagar and V.V. Mohalla. Now, it has even made inroad into main roads like Kalidasa Road and M.G. Road in the heart of the city. 

Ad on social media 

In an audacious act, these bars even openly advertise their BYOB concept on social media, when in fact advertising for alcohol itself is illegal.  It is a surprise that when everyone can see this BYOB advertisement, the Excise Department is blind!  

It seems, the only conclusion one can draw from this is that what should go to the Government in the form of taxes is going into the pockets of officers in the form of bribe.