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The government has crafted a policy on issuing bar licence and permit for foreign liquor with a provision of selling maximum seven units or 5.25kg alcoholic beverage to a permitholder per month, sources said.
In this regard, the home ministry has recently designed the policy expecting to issue licence to bar/offshop and individual permit for British/foreign alcohol, they added.
A bar/off shop will provide maximum seven unit (per unit 750 ML British alcohol, 11.25 litre beer and 2.25 litre wine) alcoholic beverages to permit holders, according to the draft policy.
The draft policy has been prepared with an aim to implement the objectives of section 13 and 14 of the Narcotics Control Act-2018 and it has been formed according to the power of section 68(3) of the act.
It will be deactivated after preparing rules on licence, permit and pass under section 13(1) of the Act-2018.
There will be a provision for importing foreign liquor worth maximum Tk 0.5 million annually subject to the approval of the director general of department of narcotics control through paying fixed duty to Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation.
This will be applied to all the licensed bars operating in Bangladesh.
The policy is expected to be tabled at the authorities concerned for approval shortly.
It has restricted a good number of places for sales of liquor including religious places, educational institutions (schools and colleges), hospitals, important markets and its entrances, mass bathing areas, children homes.
No foreign citizen will be allowed to open bar alone but will be able to open bar jointly with Bangladeshi nationals.
No more bar licence will be issued in favour of one person. One bar licence will be allowed for one person.
The new policy will allow up to six types of licences including restaurant and bar, hotel and bar, club and bar, off shop (British liquor), duty free off shop and duty paid off shop that should located in tourist, elite and diplomatic areas, the draft policy added.
Under the policy, hotels will take bar licences according to their star status. Two, three, four and five-star quality hotels will take one, three, four and seven bar licences respectively.
Restaurant, club and resort in tourist/diplomatic areas will be eligible for operating one bar each.
Work place/residence of foreign citizens will also be eligible for licence operating one duty paid off shop.
Every diplomatic bonded warehouse and tourist and diplomatic (British alcohol) areas can operate one duty free off shop and one off shop each respectively.
The duration of any licence and permit will be for one fiscal year (FY). But licence and permit can be taken any time of FY by paying fixed fees.
Diplomatic zones, special economic zones and tourist areas have been given priority in issuing licence under the policy.
Rate of fees have been fixed under the Narcotics Control (Licence and Permit Fees) Rules-2014 for issuing bar licence and renewing individual alcohol consumption permit and other related issues.
The home ministry has already sought opinions from the ministries, and state agencies concerned on the draft policy that will be finalised on the basis of their suggestions, a deputy secretary of the ministry said.
He, however, said it will take time to prepare rules under the section 13(1) of the Narcotics Control Act. For this, the policy on bar licence, and permit has been produced for an interim period.