Noida: Three-fold increase in penalty on shops selling liquor at inflated price

According to officials, a second violation will attract a penalty of ₹1.5 lakh and a third violation will see their licence cancelled.

Additional district magistrate (finance and revenue), Vandita Srivastava, said that the decision was taken during a virtual meeting held on Sunday with all the liquor shop licensees and senior officials from police and excise departments.

“Besides increasing the penalty for overcharging, all licensees have been asked to properly display the rate chart for different varieties of liquor, along with the names and numbers of excise officials. It has also been made mandatory for them to install CCTV cameras at their shops,” she said.

Srivastava further said that stern action will be taken against shops flouting these norms. “All the liquor licence holders in the district have been asked to inform the administration if they get to know of illegal liquor being sold in their areas,” she added.

The liquor shop owners requested the district administration to not hike the penalty amount, said one shop owner who did not wish to be named. “Most liquor shops continue to incur heavy losses on account of the weekend lockdown in the district. The district administration should also think about our plight,” said the owner.

There are a total of 531 liquor vends in Gautam Budh Nagar. Of them, 231 sell countrymade liquor and 294 sell Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) or beer, district excise officer RB Singh said, adding that there are also six premium shops in various shopping malls.

Ankita Sharma, assistant commissioner of police (Noida), said they had noticed a number of roadside food stalls near liquor shops. “Since such temporary food stalls often create nuisance, the liquor shop owners have been asked to not allow such eateries near their shops,” she said.