Haryana: Employees Can Now Have Alcohol At Offices, But Conditions Apply

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New Delhi: "After work, how about a beer?" Haryana corporate houses will soon be able to open restaurants and canteens serving "low-content" alcoholic beverages including beer and wine. A license (L-10F) allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages on the premises can be awarded to offices under the state government's recently enacted liquor policy. However, there are certain restrictions.

The licenses would only be granted to businesses having offices with a covered area of at least 1 lakh square feet and 5,000 employees. The workplace canteen or pantry, which has at least 2,000 square feet of space, is where the drinks can be sold. ()

However, the number of companies that would actually apply for the license seemed to worry officials. They said that many businesses would be unsuitable due to the license requirements of 5,000 employees and a 1 lakh square foot carpet space. ()

For instance, the legislation will not apply to businesses with offices in SEZs and IT parks. The Town and Country Planning Department issues licenses to these places, however, they are not permitted to offer any type of alcohol on their premises. These offices do not even accept one-day liquor licenses, which are typically provided for celebrations.

Additionally, many offices do not allow the serving of alcohol at their offices due to HR policies. As a result, as you can see, relatively few businesses will really seek licenses, a representative added. The L-10F license application procedure will be similar to that for bar permits. 

In addition to a security deposit of Rs 3 lakh, each applicant must pay a license fee of Rs 10 lakh annually.

Additionally, the office where alcohol will be provided ought to be a separate structure. The revised guideline stated that it "should not be a thoroughfare or connected to any area frequently used by people."