If you stay in Delhi, you won’t have to go out now to get liquor. It will be delivered at your doorsteps. The Arvind Kejriwal government has allowed home delivery of liquor through mobile app or online web portal.
The Delhi Excise (Amendment) Rules 2021 has been introduced. In the Excise (Amendment) Rules 2021, L-13 license holders will be allowed to deliver liquor to people’s homes.
As per the new rules, only those with L-13 license will be able to make home delivery of Indian liquor and foreign liquor. For this, the order can be taken on mobile app or online web portal. Two, delivery will be done at homes only after receiving the order. No alcohol will be delivered in hostels, offices or any other institution. Three, restaurants, clubs and bars associated with hotels will be able to serve liquor in open spaces.
There was no complete ban on home delivery of liquor in Delhi. Till now, the rule was that shops with L-13 license could deliver liquor to homes provided the order was received through email or fax.
But now the notification says, “The licensee will also be able to make delivery of liquor to homes on receipt of orders through mobile app or online web portal”.
After Chhattisgarh, Delhi is the second state to start home delivery of liquor. The government’s argument is that this will not crowd the liquor shops in the Covid-19 era.
The Supreme Court had also made a comment last year that states should consider home delivery of liquor, as crowds outside liquor shops often found ignoring the social distancing norms. After this, liquor shops were closed again in Delhi as soon as the second wave of Corona arrived. Now regarding this decision, the Delhi government believes that this will reduce the crowd at the liquor shop.
The BJP is opposing this decision of the Kejriwal government. MP from the national capital Ramesh Bidhuri said, “There is a plan by the Kejriwal government to make alcohol reach the doorstep, it is an attack on the culture of India. There is a plan to ruin the coming generations. Our culture is such that a person thinks four times before going to a liquor shop; now with this decision, liquor will come to him.”