Rollback of Excise Policy: Will liquor in Delhi bars, restaurants get expensive? Here’s what we know

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi decided to roll back the liquor excise policy 2021-22 in the national capital, to the dismay of liquor suppliers and vendors in the city. Now, Delhi is gearing up for a major liquor shortage in some weeks.

After the announcement of the rollback of the Delhi excise policy on liquor, the wine and beer shops in the city were flooded with customers as vendors started to push out their alcohol supply with one plus one offers and heavy discounts, conducting clearance sales.

Once the excise policy in Delhi is rolled back, over 450 wine shops in the national capital will be shut down once again, with no exact date of when they will be reopened. This is set to create a major liquor shortage in the city.

Not only this, but there will be no liquor supply from the wholesalers to the entire hospitality sector, including clubs, bars, and restaurants in Delhi once the excise policy is rolled back by the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government in the capital.

This means that if the government does not make any other arrangements, many of these restaurants and bars will have to turn to NCR areas such as Noida and Gurugram for their liquor supply. It must be noted that the alcohol being sold in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana has higher rates than that in Delhi.

Thus, the rollback of the excise policy in Delhi can lead to the prices of your cocktails and drinks in clubs, restaurants, and bars shooting up for a few months, till time the government doesn’t decide to reopen the liquor stores in the city.

However, Delhi's Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Monday approved the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's move to extend excise licenses of private liquor vends as well as hotels and bars by a month, as per PTI reports.

This means that the short-lived dry spell in Delhi can come to an end for a few weeks, while the government makes arrangements to make sure that the liquor supply is not interrupted if the excise policy is rolled back.

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