Despite a ‘special corona fee’ — 70% of the maximum retail price of liquor bottles — being imposed in the Capital, scores of buyers gathered outside liquor vends on Tuesday.
Serpentine queues could be seen outside the shops even before they opened shutters at 9 a.m. While some were forced to shut down within a few hours as people were not following social distancing, others remained open for business through the day with policemen keeping vigil.
The customers said they were ready to pay the hiked price as it would help the government earn revenue, but they were dismayed at the lack of organisation outside the vends leading to chaos and crowding. “What we need is a token system like some banks have introduced. Customers can collect a token and wait for their number to be announced. But who will introduce this system,” asked Nishant Pai, a buyer. He said there was utter chaos on Monday because shop owners and the police had not put a system in place and instead were blaming the public for not maintaining order.
On the ‘special corona tax’ being imposed, Kaushal, a customer who had come to check if the liquor store in Vasant Vihar was open, said, “The government will have to increase taxes on non-essential commodities. Looking at the number of people willing to buy liquor, it [special fee] may not be a bad idea.”
However, Sanjay, another customer, said that those who are addicted to alcohol would buy it at whatever cost and that may divert the little resources they have for feeding their families. “There are many daily wage earners here who have been out of work and cannot afford to buy liquor but are still waiting. We will have to see what social challenges opening liquor shops throws up,” said Mr. Sanjay.
The Delhi government on Tuesday requested assistance from the Delhi police to enforce social distancing at liquor vends. In a letter to Delhi Police Commissioner S.N. Shrivastava on Monday evening, Commissioner of Department of Excise, Entertainment and Luxury Tax Ravi Dhawan wrote that government corporations had informed them that the local police were not allowing the liquor shops to open as they had instructions to keep them closed.
“It is requested that directions may kindly be conveyed to the field functionaries that the liquor vends of four government corporations as per the list that has been finalised by them… should be allowed to function from 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. It is also requested to direct the local police to assist the vends in enforcing the social distancing norms and other protocols,” the letter said.
A wine shop in Laxmi Nagar didn’t open at all after people crowded the area, ignoring social distancing. Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Jasmeet Singh said, “Wherever people stood in queues, followed social distancing norms and adhered to the directions given by police officers, vends were allowed to open. For instance, a wine shop was allowed to open in Kalyanpuri in the morning because people followed social distancing, but was shut in the afternoon when the crowd increased.”
Police sources said that in several areas, shops opened in a staggered manner and only for a couple of hours, depending on the crowd.
A senior police officer said that meetings have been held with officials of Delhi Disaster Management Authority in every district and they have been asked to mark places for people to stand outside liquor shops. “Places which get overcrowded have also been identified and measures will be taken accordingly,” the officer said.
