Gossip Lanka News [English]

349 wine stores closed down islandwide from today ....

on orders of President!

President Maithripala who attended the committee

meeting of Narcotics Prevention Operations last afternoon (16) at President's Secretariat ordered that licenses of 349 wine stores all over the island be closed down taking effect from today. The reason for this was that these liquor outlets had been functioning by violating rules of excise ordinance. According to excise act, though it is not permitted to carry on a wine stores within a range of 500 metres of schools, temples and holy places, according to data of Narcotics Prevention Operations committee a number of 349 such locations have been identified.The President issued instructions to the Excise Commissioner-General to take action to cancel the license of those liquor stores with immediate effect and to close them down.

The President at this point mentioned that special attention has been focused on rehabilitating those who are addicted to drugs where the Narcotics Prevention Programme was concerned which incidentally has been programmed by the present regime and to plan out the legal provisions necessary for that purpose and also to carry out narcotics raid activities with the strictest measures possible. These instructions were issued to the Excise Commissioner General. The President released instructions to appoint several sub-committees to organise islandwide prevention of tobacco and alcohol. He further gave instructions to carry out special national programmes for the prevention of tobacco and which is concurrent with World No Tobacco Day.

Rev. Athureliye Rathana Thero too was present on this occasion.