As booze shops open, the Delhi Govt is ensuring strict compliance of COVID-appropriate behaviour

While frequently at loggerheads with the Centre over the issues of its constitutional powers, medical oxygen supply, the dearth of vaccine doses and the delivery of ration at the citizens’ doorstep, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Government has taken a couple of laudable decisions pertaining to its excise policy in the last week. First, at the start of the month, it permitted home delivery of Indian and foreign liquor through online portals and mobile apps under its amended excise policy. It came as a big morale booster for the Bacchus devotees in the Capital as COVID-19 restrictions at the time continued to be in place, even though the decision didn’t serve any real, practical purpose. Under the new rules, liquor home delivery was allowed through mobile app and portals, though this does not mean that liquor shops across the city would be allowed to deliver alcohol. Only sellers with the L-13 licence will be allowed to start the home delivery. The hitch the connoisseurs faced was that the facility to start home delivery was to be allowed only after L-13 licences are given to proprietors but no such licence had been issued, as a result of which no such app was available. Basically, it was a classic case of so near, and yet so far!

Two, now that the lockdown has been partially curtailed, the city Government has ordered the liquor vends to deploy marshals at the shops for ensuring COVID-appropriate behaviour. There are around 850 such vends in the city, including the Government-owned, and nearly 40 per cent of the total number are operated by private players. Under the second phase of unlock, the Government has allowed the liquor shops to reopen. Now, these have been directed to ensure compliance of the anti-COVID norms including wearing of masks, maintaining social distancing, regular use of sanitiser, no consumption of alcohol or tobacco substances on or near the premises. All this means that the city Government has its heart, and its pocket, in the right place since rather than encouraging bootlegging and cross-border trips to buy a bottle, it can fill up its coffers and, at the same time, ensure that people can buy their tipple in comfort and safety, especially in these times of the deadly virus.