Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has allowed serving and consumption of alcohol on premises near dam backwaters by amending a five-year-old policy to curb illegal liquor sales and promote tourism in these areas, an official has said.

The Water Resources Department has issued a government resolution (GR) in this regard, the official said on Thursday.

Maharashtra has 3,255 irrigation projects, including 138 major, 255 medium and 2,862 minor ones, many of which are located in hilly and scenic areas, with several rest houses, inspection bungalows and staff quarters situated nearby.

Due to the lack of manpower and maintenance, most of these properties remain unused, he said.

To promote commercial use and preservation of these assets, the department had on June 17, 2019, allowed the develo

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