Mumbai: Cheers! The Maharashtra government on Tuesday released a notification allowing the home delivery of liquor during lockdown in permitted areas outside containment zones. The government has invoked its power under section 139 of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, 1949, to facilitate the tipplers at their doorstep.
The State government has possibly taken a cue from West Bengal, Punjab and Chhattisgarh which, too, were swayed by both the powerful liquor lobby as well as the all-compelling need to raise revenue in form of the lucrative excise duty.
The home delivery will begin from May 14 at 10 am, but only after the liquor vends have undertaken a medical check-up of delivery boys, duly certified by a doctor as per the directions of the Excise Department.
As per the notification, it will be the shopkeeper’s responsibility to deliver liquor at homes in areas approved by the district collector and the municipal commissioner.
The onus is on them to ensure that the errand boys are carriers of liquor and not infection. The shopkeeper will have to provide identity cards and the doctor’s certificate to the delivery boys, which they can produce on demand.
There will be no delivery through e-retail platforms like Amazon. The shopkeepers will have to strictly adhere to the timings of home delivery as per the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the Epidemic Act, 1897.
In Maharashtra, there are 10,700 retail liquor outlets of which 4,000 are allowed to operate; 4,500 others are shut because of a decision by local authorities.
There are 2200 liquor shops in containment zones in various districts which are not within the ambit of the home delivery order. The delivery will be strictly in permitted areas outside the demarcated containment zones.
‘‘In Mumbai, liquor shops were allowed to operate for two days but were closed due to thronging at liquor vends. Liquor sale is currently completely banned in Thane city, Navi Mumbai, Nagpur and Aurangabad, which means home delivery will not be possible there.
For that to happen, the respective district collectors and municipal commissioners have to issue the necessary directions, sources said.
Meanwhile, the government has launched an e-token system in Pune on an experimental basis, whereby liquor shopkeepers get certain time slots ranging from 10 to 30 minutes to pick up the ‘’commodity.’
When liquor shops were allowed to operate last week in 21 districts, the daily sales ranged between 15 lakh litres to 18 lakh litres worth Rs 45 crore to 50 crore.
