?SC's liquor ban leaves around 50 pubs and 65 vends dry in Delhi

With the Delhi government move to adopt the old excise policy regime, its excise department has also decided to issue wholesale Indian and foreign liquor vend licences from September 1, as per a PTI report.

The government had last week extended retail and wholesale licences issued under Excise Policy 2021-22 up to August 31.

The old excise regime will begin from September 1, with government agencies taking back reins of retail liquor shops in the city from private players.

According to an excise department notice on Tuesday, the fee for wholesale licence for foreign brands of up to five spirits (whisky, rum, gin, brandy, vodka) will be Rs 15 lakh, with Rs 50,000 more for each additional spirit brand.

A licence fee of Rs 7 lakh will allow up to five foreign brands of wine, beer, alcopop, liqueur, and mixed alcoholic beverages, with Rs 50,000 for additional brands, shared the document.

Fee for the wholesale licence of Indian whisky and rum of economy brands (MRP up to Rs 140) will be Rs 25 lakh per brand.

The licence fee for all other whisky will be Rs 25 lakh.

It will be Rs 15 lakh for beer, Rs 12 lakh for rum, gin, and vodka, Rs 8 lakh for brandy, and Rs 2 lakh for wine, alcopop, liqueur, and Rs 2 lakh for wine, alcopop, liqueur, and mixed alcoholic beverages, the department said.

The wholesale licences will be granted for the financial year 2022-23.

Brand registration will go on throughout the year by the excise department, it added.

The Delhi government has invited applications from hotels, clubs, motels, bars and restaurants for serving liquor on their premises.

The government has already allocated fresh licences for 850 vends for retail sale of liquor in 32 zones across the national capital.

"Delhi government has decided to grant the licence in the form of L-15, L-16, L-17, L-19, L-20, L-21, L-28 and L-29 under new excise policy to be implemented with effect from November 17 for the service at licenced premises for 'on-site consumption' (Indian and Foreign liquor) in the National Capital Territory of Delhi for the licencing year 2021-22," shared the order issued by the excise department on Monday.

The order asks applicants to download the required forms from the excise department website and submit it with complete information and supporting documents.

The licence categories for 'on-site consumption' are: service of Indian and Foreign liquor in a hotel, motel, guest house to residents in their rooms (L15), bar/restaurant attached to a hotel (L16), independent restaurant (L17), independent restaurant located either in arrival or departure area of international airport (L19).

Other licence categories are service of Indian and Foreign liquor in a bar/dining car in a luxury train (L20), round the clock service/sale of liquor in a bar attached to a hotel located either in arrival or departure area of international airport (L21), club exclusively for serving or retired officers of government and armed forces (L29).

According to terms and conditions for the on-site consumption licences, the licence holder will require to purchase liquor from retail vends and may store liquor anywhere on the premises.

The licensees will be allowed to serve liquor and beer in glasses or bottles while ensuring that it's not taken outside the premises.

The Delhi government on Monday introduced a new excise policy by allowing services such as walk-in experience for customers at alcohol shops, promoting microbreweries and allowing bars in hotels, club and restaurants to operate till 3 am.

Delhi which is 28^th most visited city in the world aims at boosting the city's revenue by pointing that excise is an important source of revenue for the state.

The policy document, however, does not highlight home delivery of liquor which is part of Excise Rules and legal drinking age that was proposed to be reduced from 25 years to 21 years in parity with neighbouring cities.

Under the new system, the government will be out of retail liquor trade, paving the way for closure of state-run shops and promoting private players in the national capital. According to the 2021-22 excise policy, every liquor outlet in the city will provide a walk-in experience to its customers who will have multiple choices of brands, and the entire selection and sale process will be completed within the vend premise.

Such retail vends that will be air-conditioned will have glass doors. Customers will not be allowed to crowd outside a vend or in the pavement and buy through the counter, it added.

It also states that the citizens will also be able to fill their bottles or 'growlers' with freshly brewed beer from any microbrewery in the city. The policy allows microbreweries to supply draught beer to bars. "Draught beer shall be allowed to be taken away in bottles or 'growlers'. Microbrewery shall also be allowed to supply to other bars and restaurants that have license to serve liquor," said the document.

As part of the new reforms, the bars in hotels, restaurants and clubs have been allowed to operate till 3 am except those licensees which have been given license to operate round the clock service of liquor.

The new policy states that such establishments can serve liquor in the open spaces such terrace and balcony. The number of retail liquor vends will be 849 in the city, including five super premium retail vends that will have a minimum carpet area of 2,500 Sq.Ft

According to the policy, the excise department has introduced Excise Adhesive Labels (EALs) with high end security features manufactured by Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) to avoid tax evasion and plugging leakages in supply chain, and has also signed an agreement with SPMCIL.

New Year may bring cheers to the restaurant business as restaurants and bars in the city may soon be allowed to serve liquor till 3 am.

According to the recommendations of an expert committee set up by Delhi government to suggest excise reforms are implemented, alcohol service in open spaces like terraces could also become easier.

Also Read: Restaurants in South Delhi can now serve in open air, rooftop

At present, restaurants and bars are allowed to serve liquor till 1am and only bars within star hotels are allowed to function 24x7.

The government panel has suggested that timings of bars in restaurants and clubs may be increased by two hours as in other metro cities and areas in NCR on payment of additional fees.

The report noted that there being no explicit provision for grant of licence in open areas, liquor service could be permitted in open spaces such as terraces, balconies or lower areas of restaurants, clubs and hotels.

These two suggestions are part of reforms suggested in changes in liquor trade in keeping with the changing stature of the national capital.

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The committee’s report has also been put in the public domain for comments from both stakeholders and the public till January 21. The report will then be submitted to Delhi government after 24 days and a final decision taken by the cabinet. The approved recommendations will form a part of the excise policy for 2021-22.

The report also says that at present, the licence fee for restaurants holding a liquor permit was based on seat covers. The licence fee in premium areas like Khan Market or Connaught Place was the same as that in comparatively lower rental areas like northeast and outer Delhi. The committee advised a review of this system and the rationalisation of licence fee on the basis of area instead of seat covers.

While ruling in favour of Diageo and Pernod Ricard, Chhattisgarh High Court has directed the state government to frame a new liquor procurement policy within a month.

The Chhattisgarh government had earlier ordered that liquor sales would only be allowed through government-owned corporations. 

The country's top two distillers had approached the High Court, alleging unfair practices by the government. Diageo and Pernod Ricard said that the government's wholesale and retail units were trying to drive them out of the state by favouring other suppliers and restricting their orders to minimal.

Justice Sanjay K Agarwal, in its order, said, "The choice of the consumers has to prevail. There should be a la carte system and consumer, who is master of his choice, should be allowed to purchase according to his wishes and all the brands should be made available in the shops across the counter."

The court has stated that the new policy should ensure fairness and equality in procurement.

After Supreme Court's order of banishing liquor from bars, permit rooms, restaurants or liquor shops within 500m of the national and state highways from April 1, this weekend is going to be dry for most of Mumbai's weekend goers.

In all, 290 establishments will be affected in the city. Across Maharashtra 9,925 shops and bars near state and national highways will have to close down or go permanently dry .

The move, said excise department sources, will eventually hit almost half of the state's excise revenue. The amount could be as high as Rs 5,000-6,000 crore every year.

Going by advocate general Mukul Rohatgi's opinion that the SC order pertained only to liquor vends, the state had initially proposed to remove 850 shops from near highways and let 9,075 bars go on functioning.

The two express highways that reach almost 25 km into Mumbai have some of the busiest stretches of bars, permit rooms and restaurants, many housed in starred hotels, in Andheri, Goregaon, Bandra, Borivli, Thane, Dahisar, Mira Road, Kandivli, Chembur, Kurla, and so on. If the Mumbai Metropolitan Region is taken into account, the number of affected establishments co mes to about 2,000, of which nearly 1,200 are bars and 800 shops.

Besides Mumbai, cities like Pune, Nagpur, Satara, Solapur, and Kolhapur will be hit badly as almost 90% liquor joints are located along highways passing through them.

Adarsh Shetty, president of Ahar, an association of over 8,000 bars and restaurants in Mumbai, called it the saddest day for the hospitality industry .

Shetty said, "None of the bars will be able to shift as relocation is a very tough job. Who eats food these days without liquor? Some of the shops may shift but ultimately the businesses will get affected badly, and so will government revenue."

Sources in the state PWD department said a possible denotification of all highway stretches passing through cities and towns is under consideration. Taking out the 'highway' tag from the roads and asking the local authorities to maintain them could save many of the bars, vends and permit rooms. But the move has yet to gain momentum.

The Supreme Court has said that the hotels and restaurants within 500 metres of national and state highways cannot serve liquor.

The top court had on December 15, 2016, asked all liquor vends alongside highways to relocate so that they are not visible to the highway.

However, Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi had opined that the order would not apply to hotels and restaurants. But the court has rejected this view. They will now have to relocate or stop liquor.

The court had ordered all liquor vendors, whose hotels or restaurants are within 500 metres range of the national and state highway, to relocate from their respective places in order to bring down alcohol induced accident deaths.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has said that the government's decision to allow Jharkhand Beverage Corporation Limited (JBCL) to control the retail business of liquor was aimed at complete prohibition of liquor in the state.

"The government has decided to allow the corporation to control the retail liquor business and gradually make people aware before imposing liquor ban so that there is complete involvement of the people," Das said.

Referring to the meeting with the corporate representatives, Das said, "Tata Steel would provide Rs 15 crore, which is one per cent of the amount to be received under corporate social responsibility for Swach Bharat Mission (rural) in East and West Singhbhum district per annum."

"The amount would be utilised to make the district free from open defecation," he said.

"Tata Motors has been entrusted with the responsibility to develop 45 villages in East Singhbhum district as ODF," he said.

The chief minister also said that the youth of the state would be provided with skill development training along with quality education.

"The government would launch recruitment process from July to enrol 45,000 people in various departments including teachers and police," he said, adding that a men and women battalion of primitive tribe would also be raised.

Besides, the government would also form 'Entrepreneur Sakhi Mandal' to empower women.

Asked on the recently concluded Global Investors Summit, the chief minister said that investment was needed for all round development of the state and emphasis has been given to encourage small and medium scale industries for development of rural pockets.