Plans afoot to issue licences for 200 wine stores, 15 already issued

By Ajith Siriwardana  
The government is planning to issue licences to open 200 wine stores under the FL4 category and 15 of them have already been issued, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa alleged in Parliament yesterday.  
He told Parliament that the government must reveal whether a decision has been taken to issue licences to 200 wine stores, of which 15 have already been given.  
Premadasa also revealed that six liquor manufacturing licences have already been issued targeting the elections.   He said the move is being made under the new Commissioner General of the Excise Department M.J. Gunasiri.  State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe said the government has not acted outside the prevailing legal framework and that a complete answer will be given to the question if it was raised properly.

  
The Opposition Leader said a future SJB government will take action to withdraw all such illegal licences and said stern action will be taken against the Commissioner General of the Excise Department.  

“It is wrong to issue liquor licences targeting elections,” he added.