After a tussle with the Centre over the new excise policy 2021-22 in the national capital, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday announced that the AAP government has decided to withdraw it.  

Now, the capital city is likely to face a major liquor shortage in the coming days with 468 private wine and beer stores going to shut shop from August 1 as the term of their licences and that of the new excise policy expire on July 31.

The capital will return to its old excise policy from August 1. With this, the excise licences issued to hotels, clubs and restaurants having bars, and wholesale operations will also become redundant apart from private run liquor stores in the city.

It means, there will be virtually no liquor supply from the wholesalers to the entire hospitality sector and retail vends in the city after July 31, till some alternate arrangements are made by the government, liquor trade experts claimed.

Selling of liquor from government-run stores only

Deputy CM Manish Sisodia has said that the Delhi government has directed selling liquor from government-run stores only.

He said that the Chief Secretary has been asked to ensure that there is no chaos in the city during the transition period before the opening of government liquor stores and also for keeping a check on the sale of illegal alcohol.

The major shift, following a CBI probe recommended by Lt Governor into alleged violations of rules and procedural lapses in the implementation of Excise Policy 2021-22, is also feared to disrupt the entire supply chain of liquor in the city.

Shortage of liquor for the second time within a year

It will be the second time within any year as the city is staring at a liquor shortage. For three weeks before new excise came into operation of private run liquor vends from November 17, 2021, there was a shortage of alcohol in Delhi as government-run stores and individual licensees were quitting the retail business.

Special offers on liquor

With the government taking back the new excise policy, the booz lovers in the city were given rebates and special offers like one plus on and one plus two free by private vends for one last time in the city.

READ | Kerala: 12-year-old boy serves wine to friend he made by watching YouTube video, hospitalised

What is the new excise policy?

Under the new excise policy, licences for 849 retail vends were issued through open bidding by the excise department last year. Currently, 468 liquor stores are running in the city that will quit business from August 1 rendering thousands of their employees jobless.

The four corporations-DSIIDC, DTTDC, DCCWS and DSCSC- were running the majority of liquor stores in the city before the Excise Policy 2021-22 came into being with the Delhi government quitting the retail sale of liquor.

The four government corporations ran 475 liquor stores out of a total of 864 in Delhi under the old excise policy regime. The private stores, licences held by individuals, numbered 389.

(With inputs from PTI)