(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Chapter or elsewhere in this Act, in the Scheduled areas -
(a) in no case there shall be granted under this Act any licence for manufacture, possession or sale, or any exclusive privilege for manufacture or sale, of any intoxicant, exclusive with the prior approval of the concerned Grama Panchayat accorded with the concurrence of the Grama Sasan; and
(b) no licence or exclusive privilege which is granted in contravention of clause (a) shall have any effect for the purposes of this Act.
(2) For the purposes of clause (a) of Sub-section (1), the authority competent to grant licence for manufacture, possession, sale or exclusive privilege of manufacture or sale, of any intoxicant shall, before granting such licence or exclusive privilege refer every proposal therefor to the concerned Grama Panchayat for its decision within a period of thirty days from the date of receipt of such reference, and if the Grama Panchayat fails to communicate its decision within the said period of thirty days, it shall be deemed that the concerned Grama Panchayat has accorded the required approval.
Explanation :– For the purposes of this section–
(i) ‘Grama Panchayat’ and ‘Grama Sasan’ shall have the same meaning as defined respectively in the Odisha Grama Panchayats Act, 1964, Odisha Act 1 of 1965; and.
(ii) ‘Scheduled areas’ means the Scheduled. areas as referred to in clause (1) of Article 244 of the Constitution of India.
CHAPTER - V DUTY AND TAX