Only government-run liquor vends will be selling alcohol in Delhi from next month and the Delhi government has decided to end the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
“We have decided to end new excise policy (Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22) and open government liquor vends to sell liquor, so that no one will be selling illegal liquor in Delhi,” Mr. Sisodia said while addressing a press conference.
The Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 will come to an end on July 31 and the excise department is still working on the Excise Policy 2022-23.
Mr. Sisodia said that from next month only government vends will be selling liquor in Delhi.
Before November 17, 2021, there were both private and government-run liquor vends in the city.
Last week, Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena had recommended a CBI probe in the Capital’s Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, under which the government had completely pulled out of sale through retail liquor vends.
The new excise policy came into effect from November 17 last year and Delhi was divided into 32 zones and each zone had about 27 liquor vends.
Under the policy, 849 new private liquor vends were supposed to open in the city from November 17, 2021.
Mr. Sisodia said that under the new policy, corruption ended and now the BJP want to end legal sale of liquor, so that they want to bring back illegal liquor sale in Delhi.
“The private shops were given threats of ED and CBI and many left their shops. There are only 468 vends now,” he said.
“It’ll be less, as more will leave. No one wants to take licence for shops that are vacant. They’re threatening officers also of CBI and ED action. They want to sell spurious liquor like in Gujarat,” Mr. Sisodia added.
There could be shortage of liquor in the city as Mr. Sisodia did not give a date on when government vends will reopen.
