State government allows home delivery of liquor to drinking permit holders; BMC chief clarifies order not for Mumbai
BMC had suspended liquor sales last week after social distancing norms were violated
The Maharashtra government on Tuesday allowed licensed vendors to home deliver alcoholic beverages, but the directive would not apply to Mumbai where the BMC shut the liquor shops after two days of reopening due to massive crowd gatherings.
Mumbai civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal confirmed to mid-day that the order would not be applicable in Mumbai municipal limits.
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The two-day liquor retail run turned disastrous in the city when people formed long queues outside stores, violating social distancing norms imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The shop owners were asked to go back to keeping the shutters down, just hours after they finished their second day's business.
Currently, 20 districts are permitted to sell liquor. The Ratnagiri collector had launched a pilot run for home delivery of liquor two weeks ago, but it hit complications and had to be shut the very first day. The shop owners now issue tokens to the buyers in order to prevent huge gatherings outside the stores.
Excise secretary Valsa Nair told mid-day on Tuesday that only the shops that are allowed to run can home deliver liquor. "The local authorities have permission to allow the retail shops to open," she said. The vendors and delivery staff would have to take necessary precautions to prevent the transmission of the novel Coronavirus.
According to the order signed by Nair, only the drinking permit holders can order liquor for home delivery.
The notification did not mention what mechanism should be used to place the order. Sources said the association of liquor retailers have created an online platform where the contact numbers of retail vendors would be made available.
mid-day could not verify the online platform independently.
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