The dry spell in the city and its neighbourhood continued on Thursday, with no order revoking the earlier ban on the sale and service of alcohol in areas set to vote on April 29.

On Tuesday evening, Bengal chief electoral officer Manoj Agarwal said he was not even aware of the clampdown that began early Monday morning, responding to a barrage of questions from reporters. Sources in the CEO’s office said a clarification had been sought from the finance secretary.

But the confusion prevailed and there was no rollback of the prohibition. The state excise department, which notified the curbs, now functions under the Election Commission.

The April 19 order had allowed a brief window for relaxation — from Friday to 6pm on Saturday — during which hotels, restaurants, clubs and retail liquor shops can resume sale and service of alcohol. The ban will be reimposed from 6pm on Saturday and remain in force till the end of polling on April 29, and again on May 4, counting day.

The usual norm is a liquor ban for 48 hours before polling and on counting day.

Several retailers and bar owners expect unusually high footfall during the brief Friday-to-Saturday window.

“The local police should be alert to the possibility. Cops should be deployed outside stores to manage the rush. Otherwise, there could be a law-and-order problem,” said the owner of an off-shop in south Calcutta.

The owner of a lounge bar in Sector V said he had already received a flood of booking requests for Friday evening. The owner of another bar at a city mall echoed him. “We are usually open till midnight on Fridays. I would have applied for an extension, but it is not possible now,” said one bar owner.

A senior official of a social club said members were “eagerly looking forward” to the reopening of the bar on Friday.

Bar owners had been hoping for a relaxation order on Thursday, especially after the CEO’s remarks. Sources in the poll panel said Agarwal had sought clarification from the finance secretary over the extended ban, fuelling speculation of a reversal. However, no such order followed.

Instead, businesses continued to face losses. A pub in south Calcutta, which employs around 20 waiters, said most staff would return on Friday morning ahead of reopening at noon.

“A closure takes away our daily income. We hope for a bumper turnout on Friday and Saturday to recover some of the losses from the past few days and those we will incur in the coming days,” said one staff member from Howrah.