Those at the Delhi-Noida borders reported a 90-100% rise in sales in one day (file photo)NOIDA: Liquor vends in Noida witnessed a significant rise in sales on Monday, with all private alcohol stores and bars remaining shut in neighbouring Delhi. Those at the Delhi-Noida borders reported a 90-100% rise in sales in one day. However, the sales normalised on Tuesday as lieutenant governor VK Saxena approved the Delhi government’s move to extend excise licenses of private liquor vends, clubs and bars by a month till August 31. Delhi’s Excise Policy 2021-22 expired on July 31. Shubham Arora, who runs a liquor shop in Sector 1 adjoining Delhi’s New Ashok Nagar, said, “We sell liquor worth Rs 80,000 a day. On Monday, we sold liquor worth Rs 1.5 lakh. However, the sales normalised on Tuesday as stores in Delhi reopened.” Varun Khera, head of the National Restaurant Association of India’s Noida chapter, said that there was an increase in customers at different restaurants on Monday. “The liquor shops and bars opened in Delhi on Tuesday and the footfall normalised. We need to wait for a few days to get an idea of its impact in Noida,” he said. RB Singh, Gautam Budh Nagar’s excise officer, however, said that there was no concrete data to evaluate one day’s impact. “We can’t come to a conclusion on a day’s sales. We are carefully reading the Delhi policies. We have stepped up enforcement at the Delhi-Noida borders,” he said. Noida suffered revenue loss initially as the Delhi government slashed excise duty this year. However, Noida’s excise department launched an enforcement drive and managed to make up the revenue this quarter. The excise officer said that from April 1 to July 31, the department achieved 96.55% target – Rs 470 crore out of Rs 487 crore. They also arrested 164 people and seized 72 vehicles and 14,812 litres of smuggled liquor during this period. In the previous fiscal, the excise department collected Rs 1,346 crore in revenue. Admitting a slight rise in liquor sales in Ghaziabad on Monday, district excise officer RK Singh said, “The liquor shops were closed in Delhi on Monday and there was a shortage on Tuesday. However, the exact impact will be seen from September, when the new excise police comes into effect in Delhi.” Daljeet Singh, a liquor shop owner at Bhopura border in Ghaziabad, said, “We normally sell liquor worth Rs 20,000 but on Monday, the figure went up to Rs 60,000. Again the sales decreased to Rs 30,000 on Tuesday,” he said. Ghaziabad police arrested 350 people and seized 104 vehicles and 3,500 litres of smuggled liquor between April and July this year. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebookTwitterInstagramKOO APPYOUTUBE
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/sales-double-in-noida-liquor-shops-as-delhi-stores-shut/articleshow/93310245.cms
