Bengal to go through 9.5 days of dry spell

KOLKATA: Bengal will have to go through an unprecedented unbroken spell of dry days — nine-and-a-half days over the next fortnight from Monday — because of the upcoming elections.The orders, which came from the respective district authorities, shocked both the hospitality industry and those who like their evening drink. EC officials claimed they just wanted the regulatory dry period to be followed (48 hours before polls), but seniors in the excise dept and district administrations insisted they were acting under “verbal orders from those overseeing the election in Bengal”.Sources said officials overseeing the polls had come across an “unusual spurt” in alcohol sales, triggering concerns about voter inducement, and had alerted the excise dept.The state has 5,000 bars and off-shops, which record daily sales of Rs 80-90 crore. The loss for the liquor and hospitality industry across state has been estimated to be over Rs 1,400 crore — Rs 900 crore of which will be in Kolkata alone.