NEW DELHI: The hospitality industry on Monday welcomed the Delhi government’s decision to lower the legal drinking age in the capital from 25 years to 21 years under the new excise policy. Announcing the decision, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the consumption age in Delhi would now be the same as in the majority of Indian states 21 years.
He said the decision was aimed at “stopping harassment of people and establishments”. The new policy will be implemented in a few days. The higher drinking age was an overall matter of loss of revenue for the government since many adults above the age of 21 would procure liquor from shops in the satellite towns. “It’s a welcome and progressive step.
Many youngsters tend to get alcohol without proper guidance from outside Delhi illegally which can sometimes lead to serious consequences. Therefore, this move would help the authorities stop such activities. However, it’s too early to say whether the business will pick up the pace or not after the latest move,” said Jagdeep Arora, president of the Hotel Association of Karol Bagh.
Under the new policy, the Delhi government has also decided to maintain high standards of liquor for sale. It also said an international quality lab will be set up to test the quality of liquor soon. Sandeep Khandelwal, president of the Delhi Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association, said while the excise policy has been revamped, the government should also think of budget hotels and providing a licence to mini-bars. “The owners will take full precaution regarding the prescribed norms,” he said.
The National Restaurant Association of India welcomed the decision as a “pragmatic” step that would benefit both “businesses and the exchequer”. According to Zorawar Kalra, the founder of Massive Restaurants Pvt Ltd, the decision would bring Delhi at par with other cities, and promote “safe consumption”. Meanwhile, Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar alleged that the new government policy will lead to Delhi earning the sobriquet of ‘nashe ki rajdhani’ (capital of intoxication). Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta claimed that “the new excise policy will lead to social unrest and accidents”.
