Home delivery of liquor to be relaunched

Mumbai: Expecting an increase in revenue, the state excise department is likely to relaunch home delivery of liquor

Mumbai: Expecting an increase in revenue, the state excise department is likely to relaunch home delivery of liquor. The home delivery system was introduced to avoid long queues during the Covid-19 lockdown and was allowed between June 2020 and March 2022. It was stopped once the lockdown restrictions were done away with.

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“We are considering to relaunch it across the state. There will be a notification issued in the next few days. The Maharashtra Prohibition Act 1949 gives us power to issue a notification without making any changes in the Act,” said a top official from the excise department.

“We expect revenue to go up at least by 1 % as the home delivery pushes for the consumption of the liquor. During our deliberations with various social organisations, they would request us to continue with the online delivery services. They had also said that it is of the great convenience for a section of society, which does not like to visit the liquor shops or beer bars,” said an official from excise department.

The officer said that distributors had approached them for the appointment of the aggregators for the home delivery. “We however have turned down the demand as it would badly affect the over-the-counter sales at wine shops as the aggregators would pick up the stock directly from the manufacturers. Also, it may lead to solicitation of liquor consumption, which is banned in the Act,” he said.

The official said that there would be no additional charges will be levied on home delivery. “It would be a free-of-cost service expected to be given by the liquor shops. There are a few app-based operators, who deliver liquor at doorsteps but they are operating against the law,” he said.