NEW DELHI: The AAP government in Delhi on Friday scrapped its New Excise Policy 2021-22 following multiple enquiries, including those by the CBI and Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police, into charges of “undue financial favours to liquor licensees” and other “major decisions/actions in violation of statutory provisions… that had huge financial implications.”
The old liquor policy is likely to be back in force from August 1, 2022, sources said.
This newspaper was the first to report that the city government’s liquor policy “extended wrongful gains and favours to liquor wholesalers in Delhi… at the cost of state’s revenue.”
In a letter marked “Topmost Priority” to the state’s excise commissioner Krishna Mohan Uppu, Delhi finance secretary Ashish Chandra Verma on Friday said: “Reference is invited to the directions of Hon’ble Dy CM dated 28.07.2022 vide which it has, inter alia, been directed to revert to old regime of excise policy for a period of 6 months till a fresh Excise Policy is in place.” The letter further said,
“Considering that the timelines are very short, you, while taking other necessary actions in the matter, may coordinate immediately with the heads of the DSIIDC, DTTDC, DCCWS, DSCSC (all PSUs) to get the following information prepared latest by end of today (i.e., 29.09.2022) in the following format separately for al l such four organizations.”
The information sought from the excise commissioner includes the name of old vend and its location, staff deployed in the previous regime, whether the premises where the vend was located were rented or owned by the public sector undertaking, and whether the premises were still vacant or occupied.
Copies of the finance minister’s letter have also been sent to the heads of the four PSUs, which were earlier engaged in running the liquor vends.
The Delhi government had implemented a new excise policy on November 15, 2021 that withdrew the four PSUs from the liquor business and handed over the entire trade over to the private sector. Friday’s order rollded it back and directed the excise commissioner to bring back the PSUs into the liquor trade.
Sources said the new policy was scrapped to stonewall probe and prevent action against Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia who was the head of the group of ministers that drafted it.
The new excise policy had generated protests from retailers, with 10 zonal retailers out of the total 32 zones surrendering or refusing to renew licenses accusing the government of favouring wholesalers.
Multiple violations
The government allegedly violated the policy on multiple counts leading to Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena ordering a CBI probe.