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Delhiites usher in New Year in high spirits, 25% jump in excise revenue
The winter and festive season saw a huge jump in the consumption of alcohol among Delhiites.
The winter and festive season saw a huge jump in the consumption of alcohol among Delhiites.
According to figures provided by the excise department of the Delhi government, a total of 1.54 million cases of alcohol were sold in December 2011, while 1.32 million cases were sold in December 2010.
This means that on an average, Delhiites gulped down 13.88 million litres of alcohol in December 2011, compared to 11.96 million litres in 2010.
According to officials, there has been an increase of close to 16% in the sale of liquor, and the overall revenue generation by the department has gone up by 25%.
“The number has gone up significantly. In terms of revenue there has been an increase of 25% compared to last year,” said a senior Delhi government official.
There are a total of 423 government-run, 90 private and 16 mall based liquor outlets in the city.
According to sources, the maximum sale was witnessed during the end of the month as people bought liquor in bulk for Christmas and New Year celebrations.
“We had expected the sale to go up because of the festive season.
Generally too, we see a jump in the revenue as during this time of the year people tend to consume more liquor to beat the cold,” added the official.
The sale is set to increase further this year as the Delhi government has drafted a proposal to allow microbreweries in Delhi restaurants and pubs, to sell freshly brewed beer.
Last year, Delhi had also witnessed an increase in the sale of imported liquor.
In 2011, 10.08 lakh bottles of imported beer were sold as compared to 6.56 lakh bottles sold in 2010.
Not only this, wine connoisseurs had a gala time, with 3.46 lakh bottles going off the shelves in 2011 as compared to 1.94 lakh in 2010.
The sale of imported whiskey also witnessed an upward rise with the sale of 3.87 lakh bottles in 2011. In 2010, 2.34 lakh whiskey bottles were sold.
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