According to the state excise wing, out of the 30 lakh liquor home delivery orders, 15.6 lakh orders, which is approximately 50 per cent, were from Mumbai alone. Moreover, the slump in revenues has improved since the home deliveries resumed its operations in May. In June, the revenue was ₹850 crores which happen to be more than the 70 per cent of the monthly average of ₹1,100 to ₹1,200 crores pre-lockdown.
This is despite the fact that the city of Mumbai resumed home delivery of alcohol much later than the other cities. The sale of liquor was not permitted at all in April but since May 4, the state government had first allowed liquor retail in non-hotspot areas and later permitted the same in red zones as well. It subsequently also allowed home delivery in order to avoid overcrowding at liquor stores. In Mumbai and Nagpur, only home deliveries have been allowed so far as over the counter sale has been prohibited.
According to statistics shared by the excise department, 3,062 orders were placed across Mumbai on May 23, the first day of sales after it was permitted. The numbers rose to 18,964 on May 24 and further grew to 24,615 on Monday. By Monday evening, 424 out of these or 36 per cent of licensed shops had resumed home deliveries after acquiring necessary permissions. The home delivery option has always been more popular in the cities. As per the officials, a bulk of the 3,31,655 orders placed since May 15 have come from urban neighbourhoods.
Residents of Mumbai can also get their liquor delivered through online registration. After registering, the citizens will get a token for the same. The previous order of the government to open liquor shops saw huge crowds gathering in front of liquor stores, breaking social distancing norms. Therefore, the government took back the orders. Now, the process to buy liquor has been made better for effective management to ensure the sale of alcohol all throughout Maharashtra.
Share
Tweet
