On Friday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has allowed home delivery of sealed liquor bottles in non-containment zones. The Corporation has also allowed E-commerce platforms to deliver liquor. However, no over-the-counter liquor sale is permitted in the city, said the order by BMC Commissioner Iqbal Chahal. The order will come into effect from tomorrow (May 23).
In the order, Chahal said, "Excluding the containment zone, the liquor shops selling liquor in sealed bottles can be permitted to operate by selling liquor to the customers by effecting delivery of the permitted liquor to the home address of the customer."
However, the BMC Commissioner has added some conditions and restrictions. Chahal said that under no circumstances over-the-counter sales of liquor can be permitted from such shops. He added that E-commerce platforms may be utilised by the liquor shops permitted to do home delivery.
"The guidelines issued by State Government and the State Excise Department shall be followed scrupulously," Chahal said and added, "The jurisdictional State Excise Officers and Ward Officers will ensure compliance of these orders in its totality."
There are a total of 581 retail liqour shops - 144 in Mumbai city and 437 in the suburbs.
Former BMC Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi had closed liquor shops in the city, even after they were permitted in other parts of state, owing to huge crowds thronging at the liquor shops and the police machinery simply unable to control the crowds.
Pardeshi’s order had said, “ There are multiple reports, news in social media and inputs received from the police and the ward officials that due to above (liquor) relaxation there has been huge crowds gathering near these shops and where it has been impossible to maintain social distancing and there were few instances of law and order situation arising out of such crowds gathering at one place.”
Meanwhile, Mumbai has over 25,000 cases and the death toll has reached 882 on Saturday.
