You can now enjoy alcohol in open spaces at Delhi restaurants

With the new amendments, the Delhiites may also order liquor through a mobile app or website for home delivery in the coming days. (Representative image)

Restaurants and pubs in Delhi may soon serve liquor in open spaces, such as terraces, the courtyards of clubs, bars attached to hotels, etc. inside their premises, with the AAP government amending the excise rules through a notification that also allows take-away of draught beer in bottles or growlers from micro-breweries.

The customers will also have a choice of getting alcohol in bottles. However, it will be the sole responsibility of such establishments to ensure that no customer takes the served bottles out of the licensed premises.

The Delhi Excise (Amendment) Rules, 2021, published in a gazette notification on May 31. With the new amendments, the Delhiites may also order liquor through a mobile app or website for home delivery in the coming days.

According to the notification, the licensee will make delivery of liquor at the residences only if the order is received through an app or a web portal. Such deliveries will not be allowed at offices, institutions and hostels.

The provision of home delivery of liquor ordered through FAX or email, by L-13 licence holders was there in Excise Rules 2010 but it could not take off, reported news agency PTI citing officials.

"L-13 is an existing license that has been amended. No license for L-13 or home delivery of license has been issued," a government official said.

The amended rules have been implemented with the issuance of notification, but the new facilities will take some time as the government will have to decide dates for implementing different provisions by notifying the new excise policy or separate terms and conditions, an official told the news agency.

Also read | Here is why Delhi residents have to wait to get liquor delivered at their doorsteps

The amended rules also introduced the L-7SP1 category of licence paving way for 'super premium' retail vend of Indian and foreign liquor, and L-12 for retail vend of beer and wine in departmental stores.

The government also permitted the sale of medicated wines in the city, which is usually prepared by using wine as a solvent to soak out the effective components of herbs.

According to the notification, "The licensee shall not sell any article covered by his licence except for a medicinal purpose. The licensee shall not sell to any person at any one time any article covered by his licence in greater quantity than 9 litres or twelve-quart bottles, provided that sale in larger quantities may be made to persons holding a chemist's licence and to government and charitable dispensaries."

The government also introduced a licence in the form of L-37 for hotel management institutes for keeping liquor for the purpose of training.

The move will boost the government's revenue at a time when Delhi's economy is struggling due to the ongoing coronavirus-enforced lockdown that was implemented on April 19.

The Delhi government’s decision to allow home delivery of liquor was welcomed by the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC).

"This has been a consistent demand we have been making for a long time. Last month also, we had requested the government to allow home-delivery of liquor in Delhi. There are many states which have already implemented this and there has been no adverse coming out of this facility," CIABC Director-General Vinod Giri told PTI.

Following the notification of Excise (Amendment) Rules 2021, opposition BJP and Congress trained guns at the Kejriwal government in Delhi.

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said the Kejriwal government's decision to have liquor delivered at doorstep was against Indian culture, While Delhi Congress chief Anil Kumar said that the government is busy ensuring home delivery of liquor instead of tackling the COVID-19 pandemic in the city.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) also criticised the Delhi government for allowing home delivery of liquor instead of opening shops and markets on priority.

(With inputs from PTI)