Delhi poll dry days did not increase Noida liquor sales: Excise officer - Hindustan Times
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Delhi poll dry days did not increase Noida liquor sales: Excise officer

Hindustan Times | ByKapil Datta, Noida
Apr 24, 2017 10:09 PM IST

The Delhi liquor shop located at New Ashok Nagar falls in Delhi while the road outside the shop falls in Noida’s Sector 1. As liquor in Delhi is cheaper than in Uttar Pradesh, Noida residents often buy liquor from the shop. The excise department was expecting that such residents would buy liquor from shops in Noida that remained open during the two dry days.

Contrary to expectations, the 48-hour dry weekend in Delhi due to municipal elections on April 23 does not seem to have increased liquor sales in neighbouring Noida. More business was expected at liquor vends and bars in Noida falling outside the one-kilometre red zone from Delhi-UP border.

While both liquor sales and smuggling usually record an increase during assembly and Parliamentary elections, in the recently concluded MCD polls only one liquor smuggling case was detected on the Delhi-Noida border.(Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)
While both liquor sales and smuggling usually record an increase during assembly and Parliamentary elections, in the recently concluded MCD polls only one liquor smuggling case was detected on the Delhi-Noida border.(Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

“Closure of liquor shops in Delhi due to MCD elections did not increase liquor sales in Noida,” Kuldeep Yadav, district excise officer, Gautam Budh Nagar, said on Monday.

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The Delhi liquor shop located at New Ashok Nagar falls in Delhi while the road outside the shop falls in Noida’s Sector 1. As liquor in Delhi is cheaper than in Uttar Pradesh, Noida residents often buy liquor from the shop. The excise department was expecting that such residents would buy liquor from shops in Noida that remained open during the two dry days.

“During the MCD elections in Delhi, 14 liquor shops and one restaurant-bar in Noida within one kilometre of the Delhi-UP border were closed. They suffered loss of sale due to the two dry days,” said Yadav.

Excise inspector Upinder Singh said, “Only one liquor shop at Naya Bans in Sector 15 and two bars in Noida reported a marginal increase in sales on Saturday night. ”

While both liquor sales and smuggling usually record an increase during assembly and Parliamentary elections, in the recently concluded MCD polls only one liquor smuggling case was detected on the Delhi-Noida border.

“Normally, liquor mafia smuggle liquor from Haryana to Noida and even transport it to Delhi areas bordering Noida as liquor in Haryana is cheaper than in both Delhi and UP,” said Yadav.

“Recently, in one search it was found that liquor smugglers had removed Haryana labels and pasted UP labels. Their questioning revealed they had links in Delhi too. They were also planning to smuggle liquor from Haryana to Delhi during the MCD elections,” he added.

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