Overview
- An excise order issued in January excludes Holi from dry days through March, with dry days limited to Republic Day, Maha Shivratri, Id‑ul‑Fitr, Ram Navami and Mahavir Jayanti.
- Roughly 750–810 liquor vends are expected to operate on March 4, with standard hours reported as 10 am to 10 pm.
- Officials say the change is intended to curb illegal or spurious liquor, reduce cross‑border purchases, and recover lost excise revenue.
- The January order states licence holders will not receive compensation for list changes, and hotel service to in‑house guests remains exempt from dry‑day restrictions.
- Public safety measures include a reported 15,000‑person police deployment and traffic checks at about 134 intersections, with licence suspension possible for serious violations.