Old excise policy of Delhi likely to be extended, say sources

The old excise regime implemented on September 1 last year in Delhi is likely to be extended, sources said on Monday. The existing policy is set to expire on September 30.

The sources said the new policy is yet to be announced by the Delhi government. The government had returned to its old excise policy after scrapping its new policy following Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena in July 2022 recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in its implementation. The existing excise policy was implemented on September 1, 2022, as a stopgap arrangement till a new policy was prepared and implemented by the Delhi government.

This policy was scheduled to expire on March 31 but the Delhi government extended it for six months until September 30. Meanwhile, the excise licence holders for hotel, club and restaurant (HCR) category are facing issues with police verification required for renewal of their permits, said Manpreet Singh, treasurer of the National Restaurant Association (NRAI). He said that renewal of excise licences by September 30 is likely to be affected as police are not accepting applications for verification saying that they cannot entertain individuals. An HCR category licence is renewed annually and it needs to be done by September 30 this year as the existing policy lapses on the date.

"Police have said that the verification process needs to be moved through some government agency or department and not by individuals. Also, they have expressed inability to process a large number of verifications in such a short period of time," Singh said. However, he claimed that the Excise Department has "assured" that there will be no issue in the renewal of HCR category licences due to police verification. "The officials at the department have said that the issue of police verification will be sorted at the department level and further instructions will be issued," he said.