Delhi excise dept wants to dispose 70 lakh unsold liquor bottles; explores various options to do it

New Delhi: The Delhi excise department is looking for various options to dispose around 70 lakh unsold liquor bottles bought by private licensees under the now-scrapped liquor policy. The licensees could not sell the bottles as the Delhi government recently scrapped its excise policy and brought back the old excise regime in the city. The bottles, including beer and wine, are still lying in excise godowns and warehouses.

“It is being explored how to dispose this stock of unregistered brands. One option is to register the brands concerned and sell them through the liquor vends. Another option is to destroy them. There are over 35 lakh bottles of various spirit brands registered under the current excise policy. Such brands can be sold through corporation vends,” a senior excise officer told reporters.

The AAP government’s new Excise Policy only allows running liquor vends through its four undertakings such as Delhi Consumers’ Cooperative Wholesale Store Ltd (DCCWS), The Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), and Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation (DSCSC). The excise department has issued around 450 licences to these four corporations to open liquor shops across the city as the government plans more than 500 liquor shops by the end of December.

Under the now-scrapped liquor policy, the Delhi government had exited from the retail liquor business in the national capital and allowed liquor stores to be opened in malls, commercial areas, local shopping complexes etc., subject to rules and regulations. However, after controversy regarding irregularities, the government decided to go back to the old policy which allows liquor sale only under the excise department.