LUCKNOW/DEHRADUN/JAIPUR/BENGALURU: Rajesh Asthana began his day earlier than usual. By 8.30 am, he had not only bathed and eaten breakfast but had also managed to fish out an old rucksack that had been tucked away in an obscure corner under the bed. By 9 am, he had reached the standalone liquor shop nearest to his home in Lucknow, ready to buy his favourite brew. “Today, I will bathe in it,” he said, as he stood in the queue, waiting for his turn to buy his stock of alcohol.
From Andhra Pradesh to Delhi and Assam to Rajasthan, as liquor shops opened in several states after nearly two months of closure, owing to the lockdown, hordes of tipplers made a beeline for liquor shops to quench their bottled-up thirst.
In many states, the surge to buy alcohol was such that social distancing norms mandated under the Centre’s May 1 order were thrown to the wind. “Shops selling liquor, paan, gutka, tobacco etc. will ensure a minimum of six feet distance (2 gaz ki doori),” the government order had stated. But the scenes outside several shops were anything but that. Eager buyers could be seen falling over each other to get their hands on the tipple, forcing the police to lathi-charge and even shut the liquor outlets temporarily and earlier than usual.
“People are going mad for alcohol and do not fear for their lives. Social distancing norms have been shredded to pieces to satisfy themselves,” said Adhir Yadav, a resident of Nainital in Uttarakhand.Many buyers queued up outside wine shops long before the 10 am opening. In the rush to be the first to reach the liquor vend, some even forgot to cover their faces. “I forgot my mask in the rush to reach the shop. I will buy in bulk for a month as the stock could get over,” said Abhishek Singh of Jalaun in UP.For some, the justification to buy liquor bordered on the absurd. “If alcohol-based sanitisers can kill the virus, then drinking alcohol will remove it from our throats,” said a customer in Jaipur.
Perhaps under pressure from some cash-starved states, the Centre allowed liquor shops to reopen in all Covid-19 zones, whether red, orange and green.The only area where its sale still barred is in the containment zones.The chief ministers of these states are understood to have pressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their video-conference to allow them to sell liquor as it is a major source of revenue. Nearly 12 per cent of a state’s revenue comes from the excise duty on liquor sale.
In 2018-19, Maharashtra earned Rs 15,323 crore as excise from liquor sale, while in 2019-20 the figure stood at Rs 17,977 crore.Uttar Pradesh is understood to have lost more than Rs 3,200 crore because of the closure of liquor vends.
Cheers as liquor stores open
Long queues were seen across Karnataka on Monday, as liquor stores opened after 43 days. By 3pm, about 16,000 litres had been sold. Stores sold their stock at old MRP, though the state has increased excise duty by 6%. The new rates will come into effect in a couple of days.