NEW DELHI: The
Delhi government
, under its new excise
policy
, has reduced the number of dry days from 21 to just three. Henceforth, liquor stores and opium vends, pubs and bars will remain shut only on the three national days - Republic Day (January 26), Independence Day (August 15) and
Gandhi Jayanti (October 2), according to a notification issued on Monday. The restrictions will not apply on star hotels having L-15 licence, said an official.
The state government revised its excise policy last year, paving the way for reducing number of dry days.
Liquor industry welcomes ‘dry day’ move:The new excise policy also stated that the legal age for drinking would be lowered from 25 to 21. However, the government is yet to implement the decision.
"In pursuance of the provisions of Rule 52 of Delhi Excise Rules, 2010, it is hereby ordered that the following dates shall be observed as 'Dry Day' in the National Capital Territory of Delhi by all the licensees of the Excise department and opium vends located in Delhi for the year 2022," the order stated.
The government, however, clarified that it might declare any other day in the year as 'dry day' from time to time referring to election and counting days. All the licensees will have to exhibit the 'dry day' order at a prominent place of their licensed premises.
The liquor industry welcomed the decision. "Such a high number of dry days in Delhi made little sense, especially as neighbouring states have no such limitations. We applaud the Delhi Government for rectifying this anomaly," said Vinod Giri, director general, Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies.
The BJP, however, said it would protest against the order. "The sale or service of liquor in Delhi was prohibited on all major festivals as a mark of respect for religious sentiments. With this decision, the
Arvind Kejriwal government has shown that it has no respect for any religion," Delhi
BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said.
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