Delhi faces acute liquor crisis before old excise policy returns


By Avinash Prabhakar

New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS): Despite the two-month extension of the current excise policy 2021-22, the national capital is witnessing 'Dry Day' like situation for past many days.

The few shops that continue to operate at some locations in the city are witnessing large footfalls, with spiralling queues outside the shops.

The posh areas of the city such as South Extension, Safdarjung Enclave, Punjabi Bagh, Greater Kailash, CR Park, Kamla Nagar, Model Town, and some parts of East Delhi are facing massive shortage of liquor as most outlets are shut there.

And the few outlets open there are not placing bulk orders, as they will have to clear the stock by the last of this month.

Delhi is set to return to the old excise policy regime from September 1, when the city will have 500 liquor stores to serve the citizens.

According to a source, Delhi government's four corporations -- Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIDC), Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation (DSCSC) and Delhi Consumers Cooperative Wholesale Store (DCCWS) -- have been given the responsibility to open liquor stores across the city.

However, the industry experts said that due to the structured withdrawal plan, retailers are not keen to pick up stocks in the last few days before the old excise policy sets in.

"We are concerned about supply of liquor in the last few days of the transition period and for sometime even after that. As per the structured withdrawal plan, retailers are not to pick up stocks in the last 10 days, as the stocks may run out in the national capital," CIABC Director Vinod Giri told IANS.

Talking about the excise policy that will come into effect from September 1, Giri said there is very little time left and a great amount of work needs to be done to implement the old policy again, including opening of shops, wholesale depots, pricing, clearing leftover stocks etc.

"There is also the issue of reconciliation of taxes on stocks between the two systems. We have requested the government for some time to take up these matters and are waiting to hear from them," he told IANS.

 

  

Top Stories


Leave a Comment

Title: Delhi faces acute liquor crisis before old excise policy returns



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.