Delhi govt to let all voters drink if Centre foots Bill

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s under-25s can’t have alcohol. Thanks to the Punjab Excise Act, 1914, the city’s youth are neither allowed to buy liquor from shops nor go to restaurant-cum-bars and drink.
In other parts of the country, including Punjab, governments have amended the law.
In Maharashtra, the permissible age for drinking is 21. In Goa and UP and Karnataka it’s 18.In Karnataka, 16-year-olds are allowed entry into pubs.
‘‘The problem with Delhi is its dual status. Land, excise and law and order come under the Centre’s jurisdiction. This means the power to change the Punjab Excise Act, which controls the sale and supply of liquor, lies with the Union government,’’ Excise commissioner Debashree Mukherjee said on Friday.
She said the Delhi government’s move to change the Act has been pending for about nine months now. ‘‘A draft Act, which suggested that the permissible age for drinking be brought down has been prepared but there has not been any headway in the discussions with the Centre,’’ she said.
She said the home ministry has not agreed to repeal the Punjab Excise Act and allow an amendment in the Delhi Excise Act.
The Excise department is wary of going through an amendment in Parliament to change the law as it may take years.