Liquor Shops Might Open As Delhi May Soon Consider Alcohol As An ‘Essential Commodity’

If you’re missing the taste of your favourite beer for long, your wait might end soon. The Delhi Government is planning to open all liquor shops along with other essential services amid lockdown. To implement the same, the Government has requested the excise department to submit a report with certain measures to ensure that the lockdown rules are not affected. Read on to know more.

Why Such A Thought?

There are more than 860 liquor shops in Delhi that have been closed since the lockdown was announced. The city earns a whopping amount of about ₹5,000 crores from the alcohol sale, annually. The closure of the shops for a month has already incurred an overall business loss of around ₹500 crores. Apart from that, a situation like this can give a spur to the sale of illicit alcohol too. The Delhi Police had already seized a car loaded with 884 pints of illegal liquor. In another incident, a man was arrested in the Capital for carrying liquor in milk cans.

Also Read: Delhi Milkman Caught Carrying Liquor Inside Milk Containers Because It’s ‘Essential’

What Else?

The Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) has sent a plea to 10 states to allow liquor sale during COVID-19 lockdown. It also emphasised on the hazardous impacts of the growing sales of illicit liquor. According to the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, alcohol is classified under the definition of food. If the plan is approved, the alcohol shops may be allowed to operate only during a fixed time, provided that the guidelines of social distancing are maintained. Also, warehouses, breweries and other liquor manufacturing units are expected to start their operations.

Also Read: Alcohol Makes It To ‘Essential Commodities’ List In Kerala And Punjab Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

Indian states like Kerala and Punjab have already permitted the sale of alcohol amid the existing curfew. Talking about foreign places, New York and the UK have also allowed these services to provide some respite from the stress of quarantine. Delhiites, let’s keep our fingers crossed and await the ban to be lifted so that we can get the hang of our boozy doses soon!