GB Nagar registers uptick in liquor revenues in September after excise policy reversed in Delhi

In the month of September, the district has seen an increase of at least ₹6 crore in revenue compared to August, said Gautam Budh Nagar excise officials. According to the district excise officer (DEO), this has been due to the reversal in the Delhi excise policy

After months of dwindling liquor revenues due to the national capital’s excise policy, the Gautam Budh Nagar excise department has finally seen an uptick in sales in the month of September. It is noteworthy to mention here that the uptick in sales comes after the Delhi government withdrew the policy on September 1.

Cops inspect a car for smuggled liquor in Noida. (Sunil Ghosh/ HT)

In the month of September, the district has seen an increase of at least ₹6 crore in revenue compared to August, said Gautam Budh Nagar excise officials. According to the district excise officer (DEO), this has been due to the reversal in the Delhi excise policy.

“There was a heavy rebate on liquor in Delhi since November 2021, when a new excise policy had come into effect in the Capital. This was affecting the revenue in Gautam Budh Nagar because people were crossing the border to buy liquor at a cheaper rate. Till August, the district was reeling under losses because of the excise policy in Delhi,” said DEO RB Singh.

The district registered ₹126.43 crore revenues through the sale of liquor in September this year, while in August, it had registered a revenue of only ₹120.34 crore. The number of arrests and seizure of illegal liquor has also gone down in the month of September, said sources from the district excise department.

“In September, we only compounded one vehicle which was found smuggling liquor not meant for sale in Uttar Pradesh, arrested 12 people and seized 2,507 litres of liquor. While in August, we had compounded 24 vehicles, arrested 71 people and seized 2,807 litres of liquor,” Singh said.

“This is because in August, liquor was still being smuggled from Delhi to Gautam Budh Nagar, while in September, smuggling of illegal liquor reduced drastically because of the reversal in the Capital’s excise policy,” Singh added.

In addition to this, the data showed that between April 1 to September 31 this year, the Gautam Budh Nagar excise department arrested 247 people for smuggling liquor meant for sale in other states into UP. In contrast, a total of 173 people were arrested over a span of 12 months in the last financial year (April 2021 to March 2022).

Meanwhile, the district topped the state in terms of achieving revenue targets for the month of September.

“The revenue target for the month of September was ₹142.61 crore and we achieved sales worth ₹126.43 crore. As a result, we have somewhat been able to make up for the revenue lost in the previous months of this quarter and have achieved 88.65% target. The target for April to September 2022 was ₹789 crore and we have earned ₹717 crore,” said Singh.

This is the second time in the current financial year that the district retained the top spot. Earlier in July, Gautam Budh Nagar was at the top position in terms of meeting liquor revenue targets in the state.

“We are hoping for better revenue in the coming months as the festive season is also underway. We are sure we can achieve a 100% target soon,” DEO Singh added.