The joy of an alcohol lover was shortlived in the national capital. The day after the revoking of the ban; the Delhi Government has imposed a 70 per cent tax 'Special Corona Fees' on the liquor's Maximum Retail Price (MRP). The revised prices are to reflect across national capital from Tuesday.
So, if a bottle of liquor with a pre-tax MRP costs Rs 1000, you will have to pay Rs 1700 now!
The notice instructed the liquor stores to compile the "vend-wise" daily sale of alcohol and to submit a "consolidated statement" to the Delhi government on a daily basis. Delhi government officials said the move to hike liquor prices is expected to boost government revenue, which has been hit hard due to COVID-19 lockdown.
On Monday, liquor shops were allowed to open in accordance with the latest lockdown relaxations given by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Hundreds of people had lined up outside liquor shops violating social distancing norms, which forced the police to take charge in some areas, and forced some shops to close down.
As a result of people thronging liquor stores ignoring all social distancing norms, the Delhi Police Special Branch prepared a report suggesting that the timing of the sale of alcohol should be extended to avoid crowding out the stores.
According to officials, around 150 government-run liquor shops have been allowed to open from 9 am to 6.30 pm. Earlier the liquor shops' timings to open were from 10 am to 7 pm. The government has also directed four state-run agencies to deploy adequate marshals at those shops that are responsible for selling liquor.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that compared to the previous year, the government finds it difficult to pay the wages due to the loss of revenue of Rs 3,200 crore in April.
In related news, the State government of Andhra Pradesh has also raised another 50 per cent price on liquor sales. Yesterday, the government of the YSR Congress in the State led by YS Jaganmohan Reddy had hiked 25 per cent on liquor sales. Also in West Bengal, the State had raised the liquor price to 30 per cent last week.
