Delhi consumed record-breaking 24 lakh bottles of liquor on New Year’s Eve
The officials stated that additional information was still being gathered about the amount of alcohol drunk at the roughly 960 bars found in hotels, clubs, and restaurants.
The Excise Department recorded a historic sale of 24 lakh bottles on the final day of 2023, indicating that Delhiites had a ‘spirited’ New Year’s Eve. In addition, the sale of liquor bottles increased by 24% in December compared to 2022.
According to Excise Department figures, 24,00,726 bottles were sold on December 31, 2023, compared to 20,30,664 bottles sold on the same day in 2022.
Christmas Eve had the second-highest sales of the month, with 19.42 lakh bottles sold. On December 24, 2022, just 14.66 lakh bottles were sold.
Data reveals that daily sales surged in the last 10 days of December due to the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.
Additional information about bars and clubs is still being gathered
Excise department officials report that sales of alcoholic beverages in the capital have increased this year due to the emergence of additional stores in various regions of the city, more brand availability, and enhanced customer experiences.
“People get into a holiday mood from Christmas Eve and the sale of bottles increases up to New Year’s Eve. This year, the average sales rose in comparison to the previous years…. In 2022, due to the transition of policies from the now-scrapped liquor policy to the old regime, shops were less in comparison to 2023… However, the sales were good in 2022, in the last week of December,” the officer informed.
The officials stated that additional information was still being gathered about the amount of alcohol drunk at the roughly 960 bars found in hotels, clubs, and restaurants.
According to authorities, the excise agency has also increased enforcement efforts to combat unlawful booze sales throughout the festival season. They also stated that the excise intelligence office confiscated 1,700 litres of non-duty-paid liquor intended for sale in other states or obtained through duty-free stores but sold at various pubs and restaurants.
“The excise department has been conducting regular inspections of licenced and unlicensed premises to check for violations and illegal liquor transportation into Delhi.” “We intensified activities and raided 20 licenced premises to curb violations during the past week around Christmas and the run-up to the New Year,” an official said.
“The major violations found during the inspections of restaurants include more seat covers than the permissible limit, serving liquor in open areas, serving liquor to underage persons and keeping the premises open beyond the permission time of 1am.”
According to officials, patrolling near state borders has been increased, and ten teams have been assigned to check illegal liquor transit.
The excise department has awarded more than 300 interim permits to allow unauthorised businesses to sell liquor for New Year’s Eve gatherings, according to authorities.
Following multiple reports of booze being served without a temporary licence in banquet halls, farmhouses, and halls at events and celebrations, the excise department recently issued a circular requiring all such venues to register with them in advance.
The AAP government’s ambitious new liquor policy was dropped following several CBI-ED probes. In September, the policy was reversed, and the previous rule was reinstated.
Furthermore, the data reveals that 4.97 crore liquor bottles were sold in December, compared to 3.99 crore in 2022.
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