NEW DELHI: The government is likely to operate 700 liquor vends across the city by year-end, of which it targets to operationalise at least 500 by August 31, as the city goes back to the old excise regime, officials said on Thursday. From September 1, there will be no private players in the retail sale of alcohol in the national capital.
The sub-committee, which was set up by the excise department on August 1 to steer the transition to the old policy, on Thursday held a meeting where it submitted its report stating that the four government departments — Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), Delhi Consumer’s Cooperative Wholesale Stores (DCCWS) and Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation (DSCSC) — will set up a minimum of 500 vends by August-end.
“Another 200 liquor vends will be opened by December 31. Of these 700 outlets in total, each of the five departments will have to run five ‘premium’ vends to sell high-end brands. Two of these five vends are targeted to be opened by August 31 while, the rest are likely to become operational by December-end only,” said a senior government official.
While, the DTTDC will run its vends in zones 1-9, DSIIDC will operate in zones 10-18, DCCWS in 19-24 and DSCSC in 25-30, the sub-committee said. “Other than the zones allocated above, the responsibility of opening of vends in two additional zones — Airport area and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)/ Delhi Cantonment areas shall be entrusted to DTTDC and DSIIDC, respectively,” the report stated.
The sub-committee is also tasked with scouting of zones/areas where each of the government-undertakings will open the liquor vends and fixing the number of shops under each corporation. So far under the new policy, retail licenses were issued to private firms for 32 zones and 849 vends in total. With the new policy, the state government had quit the liquor business.
However, the recent controversy over the policy with the L-G asking the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to open an investigation into the same as well as the city government accepting losses to the exchequer under the scheme has prompted it to get back to the old regime from September 1.
Committee takes up several tasks in hand
The sub-committee is also tasked with scouting of zones/areas where each of the government-undertakings will open the liquor vends and fixing the number of shops under each corporation. While, the DTTDC will run its vends in zones 1-9, DSIIDC will operate in zones 10-18, DCCWS in 19-24 and DSCSC in 25-30.
BJP MP targets Sisodia, alleges over Rs 500cr graft
New Delhi: BJP MP Parvesh Verma on Thursday alleged that there has been a corruption of hundreds of crores of rupees in Delhi involving wholesale license holders when the excise policy 2021-22 was in force. Verma alleged that a South Delhi pub owner, close to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, used to collect six per cent of the commission money from the wholesale(L-1) license holders. No immediate reaction was available from Sisodia or the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over Verma’s allegations. The BJP MP from West Delhi alleged that the pub owner deleted his photos with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Sisodia posted on social media and left India after the L-G recommended the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.