Home delivery of liquor in Maharashtra from Thursday

MUMBAI: For the period of lockdown, tipplers in Maharashtra can get their liquor stock home-delivered from the retail shops in their neighbourhood. The order can be placed on phone as of now as the state administration indicated that they will slowly move to online. Since it will take at least two days for shops to prepare infrastructure, such as delivery boys and transport system, the deliveries will start from Thursday, the excise officials said.
The state excise department on Tuesday issued an order directing the existing liquor shop license holders (IMFL, beer and wine shops) to extend delivery to the drinking permit holders on their home addresses.
"In exercise of the powers conferred by section 139 of the Maharashtra prohibition Act 1949, and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, the government of maharashtra hereby permits the licensee holding the licenses in the form of FL-2, FL-BR2 and FL-WII (liquor shops and beer and wine shoppes) as appended to the Bombay liquor rules of 1953, to sell the IMFL spirits, Beer, mild liquor, wines to the drinking permit holders by effecting delivery at their home address, subject to following conditions," the copy of the order signed by principal secretary (Excise) Valsa Nair Singh said.
Meanwhile, the department has also asked all the liquor shops to implement the e-token system in which the shops can issue token numbers with fixed timings to the consumers through phone or an app as developed by wholesalers for Pune and Nashik. The consumers will then collect their stock as per the time slot allotted to them on a given token number. "The system can continue alongside especially for those who cant avail home delivery,"said Nair Singh.
"The licensee (shop owner) shall sell the IMFL spirits, beer, mild liquor and wines only in respect of the liquor for which he is licensed to sale and shall effect sale and delivery of the foreign liquor only from within the area of the licensed premises and on the day and during the hour as specified," the order said further. As per the present timings ,the shops have to close by 6pm.
"The sale of liquor under this order to the permit holder by effecting delivery of the permitted liquor on the home address may be effected only if the permit holder places an order for sale of the concerned liquor," it added, pointing out that the the licensee (shop owners) shall ensure that the persons deployed for the delivery of liquor use masks and also hand sanitizers at frequent intervals.
According to excise commissioner Kantilal Umap, it is mandatory for the delivery boys to have the medical certificate of fitness duly signed by the doctors besides proper identity cards. It is the responsibility of owners to ensure that no contagious disease spreads through the boys besides ensuring a proper storage during the transport, he said.
"The order shall be in force and effective until the orders of lockdown issued by the government from time to time under the disaster management act 2005 or any other Act are in force in the state. The government may at any time and at its discretion either modify or rescind the same," the copy of the order stated at the end.
Meanwhile, the liquor shop owners in Mumbai have apprehended the fact that BMC had closed their shops and that the civic administration should clarify first if they can operate home deliveries by keeping shops closed. Nilesh Athnikar of the Association of Progressive Liquor Vendors welcomed the decision, but said now the BMC has to also allow shops to do so since they have closed down shops after excise department allowed them to open. "It should also be made clear if BMC doesn't want us to open but operate only home deliveries," he added.
Meanwhile, the bar owners in Mumbai have also requested to the excise department to allow them to sell their they bought before lockdown, especially of beer, which they said may expire soon. "Bars and hotels across Mumbai and western region have around Rs 10 crore worth beer stock that may expire very soon if it is not allowed to be sold and consumed along with food parcels," said HRAWI and AHAR office bearers.