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Day One: 58% liquor vends in P’kula dist open for business
Customers willingly shelled out ₹20 to ₹50 more per bottle of their favourite tipple
A day after Haryana government gave a nod to open liquor vends, only 36 of 62 liquor stores across Panchkula district, including Pinjore, Kalka, Barwala and Raipur Rani, opened for business. However, in Panchkula city, only five of 22 vends opened on Tuesday.
However, unlike the scenario that played out in Delhi and other cities, Panchkula witnessed no jostling or long queues for alcohol on the first day. The number of people queued up outside the stores was also not more than 25 at a time.
Stores that opened to business included those in Sector 5 (near Bella Vista hotel), Majri chowk, Sectors 20, 28 and 21. People in queues outside the vends had worn masks and were found complying with social distancing norms.
Braving the scorching heat, they stood patiently within the painted circles, in two to three queues with five persons each. While many were seen taking home boxes of beer, others bought whiskey and scotch. While some complained about not getting their favourite brands, but they made do with whatever was available.
Policemen and homeguard volunteers were also deputed outside stores to keep a check.
However, the posh liquor stores and showrooms, mostly in Sector 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16, and the Industrial Area were found closed. Many liquor vends that did not open on Wednesday due to stock and takeover issues, will most likely open from Thursday onward, an official said.
All liquor shops in Haryana were closed from March 27 amid the lockdown. To those who had been waiting for 40 days, hiked prices of their tipple did not matter. Even though vends overcharged them by ₹20 to ₹70, people could be seen stocking up as much as possible.
Sector-12 resident Aakash Manocha who had come to Sector 20 to stock up, said, “I couldn’t find any stores in the vicinity open, but a friend told me about this store. It has been a month without booze. They charged me ₹50 more for my brand, but I am okay with it.”
Sumit, a Sector-4 resident, had come to Sector 21 to buy his tipple. “My cousin and I were relieved to see such a small queue and no chaos. Though we were overcharged ₹20 for each bottle of beer, frankly it didn’t matter. We made do without it for 40 days.”
As per a district excise department official, in Panchkula, liquor vends are distributed over 34 zones. Of these, 31 zones were auctioned under the excise policy for the year 2020-2021. Every zone has two vends each, making for 68 vends in the district, with only 62 open for business as yet.
“In March, before the liquor stores closed, the district excise department had earned a revenue of more ₹7 crore,” said an official. In the financial year 2019–20, Haryana had earned ₹152 crores, which comes to about ₹12.7 crore per month, he said.
Panchkula’s deputy excise and taxation commissioner (DETC), Pardeep Yadav, said that some shops did not open as new vendors were still in the process of takeover and sales. They will probably open from Thursday onward. We have instructed all liquor vend contractors to ensure their employees follow Covid-19 guidelines.”
