Delhi Government To Go Back To Old Policy Of Retail Liquor Sale

The Excise Policy 2021-22 will come to an end on July 31

On Friday, the Lieutenant Governor recommended a CBI probe into the implementation of the new excise policy. 

The Delhi government has decided to go back to the old regime of retail liquor sale in the city, officials said on Friday. 

The Excise Policy 2021-22, which was extended twice after March 31 for a period of two months each, will come to an end on July 31.

The excise department is still working on the Excise Policy 2022-23 that recommends, among other things, home delivery of liquor in Delhi. The draft policy is yet to be sent to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena for his approval, officials said.

According to an official document, the finance department has directed the excise commissioner to coordinate with the heads of four corporations of the Delhi government for details of liquor vends operated by them before the new excise policy came into effect from November 17, 2021.

According to the statement given by the Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the excise portfolio, directed the department on Thursday to "revert" to the old regime of the excise policy for a period of six months till a fresh policy is in place, they said.

Under the new policy, licences of 849 liquor vends were issued through open bidding to private firms. The city was divided into 32 zones with each having a maximum of 27 vends. Instead of individual licences, bidding was done zone-wise and each bidder allowed to bid for a maximum of two zones.