Delhi: Liquor shortage dampens spirits during height of wedding season

According to rough estimates, about 100 of the planned 850 liquor shops have opened so far, with the others either being renovated or awaiting supplies.

People hosting weddings said they were facing problems in procuring alcohol, or even finding vends in their localities for bulk orders, as the liquor business in the city is in a transition phase in the wake of a new excise policy that kicked in last week.

A liquor store being revamped in Greater Kailash-2 on Monday. (Raj K Raj/HT)

According to rough estimates, about 100 of the planned 850 liquor shops have opened so far, with the others either being renovated or awaiting supplies.

While many residents were able to procure liquor for personal consumption from the neighbouring Gurugram and Noida, families hosting weddings and banquets during this period faced problems.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has estimated that over 150,000 weddings will be held in Delhi this season ( from November to March) and they are expected to bring in a business of about ₹50,000 crore. On Sunday alone, there were around 8,000 weddings in the Capital, CAIT said.

The government quit the retail liquor business, with nearly 600 government-run liquor vends shutting shop last Tuesday, to make way for 850 privately run liquor vends that will be spacious, air-conditioned and well-lit -- hailed by experts as a much-needed reform to improve user experience and enhance excise revenue for the state.

Akash Tyagi, an auditor at a consultancy firm, said the bar counter at friend’s wedding was reduced to a few bottles in a car as they could not find liquor in large quantities anywhere in the city. People also suggested that the government should put up the list of new liquor shops in Delhi, along with addresses and contact numbers, on the excise department’s website for the convenience of the public.

“Banquet hall managers say the rules have changed and so they cannot arrange it for us. So we reached out to the excise department for a licence. They were helpful and explained to us the new charges. But, they could not guarantee us availability of liquor as the entire system has now been privatised,” said Tyagi.

“The problem is that if anyone buys a licence to serve liquor on private premises or in a banquet hall, the alcohol also has to be purchased from Delhi, which is facing a shortage,” he said.

Monu Bansal, manager of four shops that have come up in east Delhi’s Star City and Galleria malls, said the supply is limited at the moment. “We opened our shop three days ago, but sales are low because supplies are not arriving sufficiently,” he said.

Those in the retail business also said there is confusion among stores about whether the legal drinking age in Delhi has been reduced to 21 from 25 years. A few shops in malls even put up posters saying “liquor not allowed below 21 years of age”. But the legal age to be served or sold liquor in Delhi is still 25 years and above.

While the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 does not mention the reduction of age to 21 years, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia announced in March that the government has decided to reduce the age bar in the new policy.

A senior excise department official clarified to HT that the legal drinking age in Delhi continues to be 25 years, and that the same applies to retail sale or service in restaurants, bars or clubs.

For the change to be effected, a proposal needs to be tabled and passed in the assembly, the official added. There was no clarity immediately on when this will happen.

Most restaurateurs are facing a lot of problems in getting the new licences. The department has only limited people and they are all busy in issuing provisional licences to the 850-odd private retail liquor vends. We have received no communication about when we can start operating till 3am and whether we can serve liquor to those who are 21 years and above,” said the restaurateur.