Delhi liquor crisis deepens: Here’s why stocks have dried up in the capital

Delhi government's decision to overtake the liquor trade in the national capital has created liquor shortages in many parts of the capital.

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New Delhi: Delhi is reeling from an unprecedented liquor crisis as many liquor outlets face shortages of liquor or shut down after their stocks dried up. Liquor sellers are avoiding placing bulk orders to not have excess inventory by the end of the month. They are afraid to suffer losses when they will not be able to sell their inventory by the end of the month. 

This distress comes amidst the Delhi government's return back to the old excise system for liquor selling. After having a shortage of revenue from the liquor trade, the Delhi government decided to take over liquor selling in the capital from private sellers by the end of this month. Though there is no shortage of premium brands; however, non-premium brands aren’t available at many outlets. 

468 liquor shops had been shut down from August 1. There are no liquor shops open in some areas of Delhi like Anand Vihar, Paharganj, Sarita Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, and many others.

The lieutenant governor of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena last month recommended a CBI probe into the alleged violation of rules and process of the implementation of excise duty by the Delhi government. The city was divided into 32 zones across Delhi to implement a new excise policy. However, 16 zonal licenses had been surrendered.