Hoteliers request excise dept to replace expired beer with fresh stock

Hotels and restaurants in Gurugram have written to the state excise and taxation department requesting it to either buy-back the beer stock which expired during

Hotels and restaurants in Gurugram have written to the state excise and taxation department requesting it to either buy-back the beer stock which expired during the nationwide lockdown or replace it with a fresh stock.

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City hoteliers and restaurant owners said they had procured enough beer stock before thew lockdown was announced, but the stock expired when all hospitality sector establishments shut down on March 25. They said with the stock expiring they have suffered a total loss of nearly ₹1 crore.

Bhishan Singh Chauhan, liaison manager, The Leela Hotel, said the more than 2,400 cases of beer with the hotel have expired so far, and another 2,000 cases will expire in July. “We have already suffered a loss of more than ₹9 lakh and if the government does not consider our request we will suffer additional loss of ₹9 lakh,” he said.

Sameer Singh, vice president (operations), Lemon Tree Hotels, said the government should either pay hotels for the expired stock or replace the old stock with fresh one to save hotels from suffering more financial losses.

Aruna Singh, deputy excise and taxation commissioner (east), said after receiving a letter from hoteliers and restaurateurs, a representation to the senior officials in Panchkula regarding the matter was sent and decision is yet to be taken. “The expired beer will have to be destroyed as it cannot be exchanged, but we are under process of exchanging the stock which will expire in the coming months. The liquor vends can sell liquor, but bars in hotels and restaurants are still closed,” she said.

Inderjeet Banga,head of Gurugram chapter of National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) said many city restaurants, pubs etc had to destroy beer worth ₹50 lakh during the lockdown. “The expired beer is of no use to either the excise department or to us. Even the department will destroy the beer. Restaurants and hotels in the city have suffered huge losses in light of the lockdown,” said Banga, who owns Pranskster (a restaurant in Sector 29, Gurugram) and the restaurant chain Pirates of the Grill.

Restaurant owners said if the excise department exchanges the stock, the saved capital can be used in setting up new arrangements after hospitality service providers receive a green signal from the government to open bars in their establishments.

Hotels and restaurants across the country have been incurring losses since the nationwide lockdown came into force on March 25. These establishments had bought stock for routine consumption but have been barred for selling liquor for more than two months.