Lucknow, May 21 -- Liquor traders from across Uttar Pradesh met the state excise minister in Lucknow on Wednesday and demanded immediate restoration of the old "permit room" system that allowed on-premises consumption of beer. Vikas Mohan Srivastava, general secretary of the Liquor Seller Welfare Association (UP), apprised the minister of the various difficulties licensees were facing. He urged the government to reinstate permit rooms, a facility that existed earlier, to boost sales and provide convenience to customers. The traders also highlighted that the mandatory sales quota for country liquor shops in metropolitan areas was excessively high. They pointed out that while customers mostly prefer specific brands, a significant portion of the mandated 25% stock remains unsold, leading to substantial financial losses to traders. Shivkumar Jaiswal, treasurer of the organisation, drew attention to the sharp decline in customer footfall due to the prevailing intense heatwave. He requested revising the operating hours for liquor shops, suggesting they open between 8:00 AM and 11:00 PM to offer relief to both customers and licensees. They further complained that the current lottery-based shop allocation system is gradually pushing long-standing and experienced liquor traders out of the business....