HYDERABAD: With statewide lockdown coming into effect in the past week, demand has risen for the home delivery of liquor after lockdown relaxations end at 10 am.
A few states, like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha and Meghalaya, are delivering liquor bottles to home.
As liquor consumption is high in Telangana, spirit and wine companies are requesting the State government to consider this initiative to cater to the public needs and also gain revenue.
The International Spirits & Wines Association of India (ISWAI), the representative body of the national and international spirits and wine companies, submitted a memorandum to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and Sarfaraz Ahmed, Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise, to allow home delivery of alcoholic beverages by licensed retailers.
According to ISWAI, it is the most suitable and easily implementable model, to allow the retailers to take the order directly over the phone and WhatsApp, and use their staff to execute the home deliveries. This would also be a regularisation of a practice that happens on an informal basis and will go a long way in stopping illegal practices and illicit transactions, it said.
“This will avoid crowding at the retail outlets, and stop the sale of spurious liquor through illegal supply chains, while simultaneously ensuring the government’s revenue. Currently, all liquor retail outlets in Maharashtra have been closed down, but they are able to meet consumer demand for liquor via home delivery being undertaken by the very same retail outlets,” said Suresh Menon, Secretary-General, ISWAI.