Liquor shops shut at Delhi airport from today as national capital switches back to old policy

Privately-run liquor shops at the domestic terminal of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport will stay shut from September 1 as the national capital switches back to the old excise policy. According to this policy, liquor will be available at duty free shops of the IGI airport. 

A senior excise official told news agency PTI that there are also plans to promote draught (or draft) beer as more microbreweries are likely to come up in the near future with the return of the old excise regime. 

Another senior excise official said that while there may be some issues in transition from private to government liquor vends, this may be fixed with more brand registration and shops opening in coming days but supply will see an uptick from the first week of September due to the opening of more liquor shops. 

He further pointed out, “Currently, there are nearly 250 private shops that will be replaced by over 300 government vends. So, there will be more shops and the number will grow further in the coming days as 500 shops are planned to be opened by four Delhi government undertakings.”

These Delhi government undertakings include the Department of Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (DSCSC), the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation Limited (DTTDC), the Delhi Consumer’s Cooperative Wholesale Store Limited (DCCWS) and the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC). 

These corporations will cater to customers from all segments of life and will operate premium and budget vends. Various government vends will be located near metro stations and malls. The undertakings aforementioned have been given a target of setting up 700 liquor shops in the city by 2022-end. 

These agencies have managed to open liquor shops in areas under the New Delhi Municipal Council and at rented areas in Yashwant Place, Gole Market, G Block Connaught Place and Khan Market among several other places. 

But how will this benefit customers? 

Customers will get a wide range of options as more than 1,000 liquor brands– Indian and foreign– will be available for purchase at government-run vends. 

Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) Vinod Giri mentioned that customers might have to wait longer for some products, especially imported liquor, as their registration under the old excise regime is not yet complete and there is no clarity regarding the same yet. 

Besides this, the excise department has also developed mAbkaridelhi– a mobile app aimed at providing information such as nearby retail vends, their location, shop timings of liquor stores, foreign liquor availability, searching for vends in alphabetical order and feedback. The app will be available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store in Hindi and English from September. 

Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government withdrew the Excise Policy 2021-22 last month after Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into alleged implementation-related irregularities. The central agency conducted raids at 31 places including Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s residence while probing alleged irregularities in Delhi government’s new liquor policy– Excise Policy 2021-22. 

(With agency inputs)

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