No dry day on Holi: Liquor vends to stay open this year in Delhi

Liquor vends in Delhi will stay open on Holi, as it's not listed as a dry day this year, prompting criticism from AAP leaders about potential scams.

Liquor vends in Delhi will remain open today as Holi is not on the list of dry days that will be observed this year, said officials.

Holi is not on the list of dry days that will be observed this year in Delhi (HT_PRINT)

In an order issued in January this year, valid till the month of March, the excise department directed that liquor vends and licensed premises shall observe dry days on select occasions in January, February and March this year under Rule 52 of the Delhi Excise Rules, 2010.

According to the order, January 26 (Republic Day), February 15 (Maha Shivratri), March 21 (Id-ul-Fitr), March 26 (Ram Navami) and March 31 (Mahavir Jayanti) were on the list of dry days this year from January to March.

The department clarified that licensees will not be entitled to any compensation due to the closure of shops on the days mentioned in the list. It further stated that the restriction on sale of liquor on dry days will not apply to the service of liquor to residents in hotels holding L-15 and L-15F licences.

All licensees were instructed to display the order at a conspicuous place on their premises.

In 2022, the then Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has slashed the number of dry days to three under the new excise policy, which was later scrapped in July 2022.

Meanwhile, AAP leaders criticised the Rekha Gupta led government on the matter.

Senior AAP leader and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia posted on X saying, “The real liquor scam in Delhi has now begun. By keeping liquor shops open even on Holi, the Delhi government has given open permission to earn crores of rupees on a festival day. Does even a single ED or CBI officer have the courage to ask questions about this scam?”

AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj shared the Delhi government’s order on X and said, “You may recall how the BJP-led central government created chaos in Delhi in the name of liquor. They lied at every step to defame the AAP government and trapped us in false cases. But now during the BJP government, in the name of liquor, their true values have come before everyone. They are neither Sanatani nor patriots. They are merely an uneducated group hungry for power.”

Bharadwaj said that so far, the government kept all liquor shops open on Chhath Mahaparv, Ravidas Jayanti, and now on Holi as well.

“Is it not CM Rekha Gupta’s responsibility to protect our daughters from the hooliganism and obscenity that will occur on the streets after people consume alcohol?” he questioned.

HT reached out to the Delhi government for a comment on the matter, but no response was received by the time of going to print.

Delhi currently has over 700 liquor vends operated by four government agencies — the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation (DSCSC) and Delhi Consumers’ Cooperative Wholesale Store (DCCWS).