Bhubaneswar, May 30: The state cabinet today decided to maintain status quo on granting of licence for Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and deferred its plans for e-auction of licences to the IMFL shops by two months.

Chief secretary Bijay Patnaik said: “Orissa High Court has given a directive, asking us to maintain the status quo. We have to go by the directives. The government, therefore, will continue the earlier practice of allotment of liquor shops to vendors for two months — June and July.”

Patnaik said the government had earlier issued a notification to launch the e-auction system. Later, some people challenged it in the high court.

“The court has already completed its hearings and reserved its order. Till the final verdict is delivered we have been asked to maintain the status quo,” he said.

The court took up the case for hearing after 32 IMFL off-shop licencees had challenged the State Excise Policy for 2013-14. They had also questioned the excise department’s move for e-auction for the settlement of retail IMFL off-shops and country liquor outlets.

An official said they had mooted the plan to go for e-auction of liquor shops to enhance excise revenue.

In yet another decision, the state cabinet today formulated a rule to bring transparency in the service rules of ayurvedic and homeopathic doctors.

The state government also sanctioned the creation of nearly 10,000 posts in health department. Of it, 5,164 will be posts for auxiliary nurse and midwives, 991 male health workers, 2,934 staff nurses, 954 laboratory technicians and 258 radiographers.