Bhubaneswar, Dec 30: Zero Night celebrations across the state are likely to be subdued this year following a strict move by the Excise Department, which has rejected all applications for temporary liquor licenses. The decision has caused concern among hundreds of event organizers.

With the New Year just days away, around 30 event organizers had applied to the Bhubaneswar Excise Superintendent for one-day temporary licenses to serve liquor at Zero Night events. As per existing excise norms, license fees are fixed based on the expected number of attendees, ranging from ₹3,000 for gatherings of up to 25 people to ₹25,000 for events with more than 1,000 people.

Based on these provisions, hotels, malls, clubs, and housing societies had submitted applications and were expecting approvals from last Saturday. However, the Excise Department has rejected all applications without exception.

Explaining the decision, the Deputy Commissioner of Excise said the government aims to ensure that the New Year is celebrated in a peaceful and orderly manner. As part of this initiative, the issuance of temporary liquor licenses for Zero Night has been canceled. He added that temporary licenses will be issued again as usual from January 1.

The decision is not limited to Bhubaneswar. Applications submitted by event organizers in various districts across the state have also been rejected, affecting planned New Year celebrations statewide.