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L-10 vends under the Delhi government will soon have dedicated counters for women. According to officials, the special sale counter for women will be opened at L-10 vends which have the licence to open shops in malls and airports. Currently, about six such vends have been opened in Delhi, some of which are in Pitampura and Galleria Mall in Mayur Vihar.
At Galleria mall, two L-10 vends have been opened and it is the first to dedicate a special sale counter for women in its premises/shops.
“In the previous policy, there were only private vends and they had space to open premium vends with walk-in experience. However, under the current policy, there is a space limit and only government corporations are running these shops. So a special walk-in experience is difficult even in premium vends. However, L-10 vends have licences for retail sale of various brands of Indian and foreign liquor,” said an official.
Officials added that at present, buying liquor from normal vends is difficult for women. “Due to small space and heavy rush, women consumers find it difficult and avoid going to these shops. So, these shops will be opened in malls and airports, so women consumers can buy liquor without facing any difficulties. They will have a good walk-in experience and can choose what they want to buy,” said the official.
Rohini, a fashion designing intern, said: “This is a very good step because ever since private vends closed, I stopped visiting liquor shops. Earlier, the shops were big and had a good walk-in experience – women did not have to stand in line and had freedom to go and buy liquor from shops on their own… But now, I cannot think of going to government shops as it is very crowded and people judge me.”
However, liquor shops are yet to be opened at the airport under the old excise regime which came into effect from September 1 after the 2021-22 liquor policy was scrapped amid investigation into alleged irregularities in its formulation.
Officials said two corporations — Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) and Department of Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation (DSCSC) – have approached the airport authority seeking permission to open liquor vends at the airport terminals.
“The process is ongoing for opening shops at airport terminals… there will be a conclusion by the end of this month. We hope permission and NOC will be given, after that, shops will be opened from November,” said officials. The old exercise regime is valid till six months. Officials said work on the new liquor policy for 2023-2024 is also in full swing.
Currently, Delhi has around 460 liquor shops and more than 500 brands have been registered and 1,000 more expected in the coming months. The department has also launched a mobile app called mAbkari to provide information regarding liquor shops, available brands and locations, a section for filing complaints and feedback from consumers.
The Excise department, in the first month of bringing back the old policy, collected Rs 768 crore revenue till September 30, of which Rs 460 crore was collected from Excise duty, Rs 140 crore from VAT and the remaining amount through licence fees issued to hotels, bars, wholesalers, clubs and retail vends for the period of six months.
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