Bhopal, Jan 24: To mark the 300th birth anniversary of Devi Ahilyabai, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav convened a cabinet meeting in Maheshwar, known as the city of Devi Ahilyabai, in Khargone district on Friday and approved a significant decision to ban liquor in religious cities across the state.

Sharing the decision taken in the meeting, CM Yadav said that the cabinet has decided to impose a liquor ban in 17 religious cities in Madhya Pradesh. All liquor shops operating in these cities will be shut down permanently, with no plans to relocate them.

"To ensure that the states move towards liquor ban gradually, we have decided that in the first phase liquor shops would be shut down in Nagar Palika, Nagar Parishad, Nagar Panchayat of 17 cities in the states. These shops will not be shifted anywhere else. It has been decided to shut down these shops permanently," he said.

The 17 cities where liquor shops will be permanently closed include one municipal corporation, six Nagar Palika, six Nagar Parishad, and six Gram Panchayats. Liquor shops will be completely shut down within the limits of Ujjain Municipal Corporation. Similarly, liquor will be banned in Datia Nagar Palika, Panna Nagar Palika, Mandla Nagar Palika, Multai Nagar Palika, Mandsaur Nagar Palika and Maihar Nagar Palika, the CM added.

On the same line, the Nagar Parishads where liquor shops will be shut down include Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Mandleshwar, Orchha, Chitrakoot and Amarkantak.

CM Yadav said, "We should all pay attention to the fact that these Nagar Parishads are all such centres of our religious faith so on the basis of the liquor policy, we have decided to close the shops in all these places."

Furthermore, after the Nagar Parishad, the Gram Panchayats where liquor will be banned include Salkanpur, Barman Kala Gram Panchayat, Linga Gram Panchayat, Barman Khurd Gram Panchayat, Kundalpur Gram Panchayat and Bandakpur Gram Panchayat, CM said.

Mohan Yadav also emphasised that the previous policy to ban liquor within a radius of five kilometres on both sides of the bank of Narmada would be continued and no changes would be made in that policy. (ANI)

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