Under the new excise policy, Delhi will have 850 exclusive liquor shops from today having walk-ins and some having tasting facilities to enhance customer experience.

The Delhi government shut down all the retail liquor business on Tuesday. Yesterday was the last day for nearly 600 government-run liquor shops operating across the national capital.

As per the new excise policy, the liquor business will now be handled completely by private players.

Naresh Goyal, Delhi Liquor Trade Association President told Mint that there are chances of chaos in the beginning as all shops will not be able to start functioning from Wednesday. He further said, ‘Many places shops are still being prepared at par with the new guidelines, so it may take some time. Not more than 250-300 shops will be able to function on the first day. There may be some shortages in the initial few days due to the lesser number of shops, however, it will end as new vends come up.’

Prices of alcohol

As per a report by PTI, the Excise Department, which is in the process of fixing the maximum retail price (MRP) of brands to be registered in Delhi, said the wholesale price of all types of liquor are likely to increase by 8-9 per cent.

Liquor prices may jump a little higher in the initial stage, but Delhi will soon be competing with Gurugram in keeping liquor prices low and will offer major discounts.

Liquor shop timings

Excise Department officials said that new liquor vends will remain open from 10 am to 10 pm.

New facilities available at new liquor shops

All the lavish shops will be set up in 32 zones across the city. It will have CCTV cameras facilities. The policy also allows the opening of five super-premium retail vends having an area of 2,500 square feet.

The policy also bars selling liquor through grilled shops with people crowding outside on roads and pavements. These shops will be spacious, well lit and air-conditioned. One retail licensee will have 27 liquor shops per zone.