East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal on Thursday said the civic body has sealed an “illegal” liquor vend in the city’s Kondli area.
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“People have been protesting against the opening of this liquor vend, and we took the initiative to check whether there were any violations. We found that the construction was not authorised. Most of the vends that we have sealed till date are unauthorised construction,” said Mr. Aggarwal.
Since the Delhi government’s new excise policy came into effect in November, a total of 10 liquor vends have been sealed by the EDMC, while notices have been issued to 80, he said.
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“There are at least four liquor vends that will be sealed in the coming days; we have already issued notices to them. The opening of these shops under the excise policy is causing public inconvenience. We do not want the lives of Delhi’s youth to be destroyed because of alcohol,” said Mr. Aggarwal.
According to the Delhi government’s new policy, a total of 849 liquor vends – including five super premium vends (SPV) – were to be opened, while the city’s liquor business will be handled by private players. Of the total vends, 810 fall in areas under the jurisdiction of the three municipal corporations – North, South and East.
The BJP-led corporations and councillors from the Congress have opposed the policy over issues of liquor shops being opened in residential areas and over building bye-law violations.