Maharashtra likely to start home delivery of liquor from May 14 till coronavirus lockdown ends on May 17

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MUMBAI: The Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is mulling to start home delivery of liquor till coronavirus lockdown ends on May 17.

According to reports, the home delivery of liquor is expected to begin from May 14 and only in those cities where wine shops have been allowed to reopen with certain conditions. The Maharashtra Excise Department will keep a strict vigil on home delivery of liquor across the state and ensure that the social distancing norms are fully followed.

Since Mumbai is in the Red zone, there will be no home delivery of liquor in this city. The Excise Department has also decided to start an online token system on a pilot basis for the sale of liquor in select cities, including Pune and Nashik, to avoid huge crowding at shops.

The move comes after huge crowd assembled in large numbers outside liquor shops across the state last week, flouting the social distancing norms to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

Under the new system, a person can get a token by registering on the state excise department portal and then go to the shop to buy liquor. Only those who get the token can go to the shop and buy liquor. The move is expected to help in preventing long queues of people outside liquor shops. The state government plans to issue a limited number of tokens for liquor sale to avoid crowding on streets.

The system will be started on a pilot basis in Pune first and, if found successful, it will be replicated in other parts of the state.

The Supreme Court on Friday left it open for states to consider online sales and home delivery of liquor during the COVID-19 lockdown period to facilitate social distancing.

Dismissing a plea challenging a government circular of May 1 allowing the sale of liquor through direct contact sales during the lockdown, a three-judge SC Bench left it to the discretion of the State governments to provide a mechanism for online buying and home delivery of liquor.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had on May 1 had declared a “limited” lockdown which classifications of districts into ‘Red’, ‘Orange’ and ‘Green’ zones based on COVID-19 risk-profiling. 

The sale of liquor and tobacco products were allowed in some areas after ensuring a minimum six-feet social distancing.