This is why several Karnataka liquor shops are running out of stock
Liquor merchants in the state have been struggling to place orders through the new system due to technical glitches and have not been able to place the indent.
3 min read
The excise department has also been directed to ensure that liquor stores do not advertise on social media or other platforms.Several liquor shops across Karnataka ran out of alcohol starting Tuesday, a day after the Karnataka State Beverages Corporation Ltd (KSBCL) introduced a new software where these outlets have to purchase stocks online through a web-indenting method.
Liquor merchants in the state have been struggling to place orders through the new system due to technical glitches and have not been able to place the indent. Speaking to The Indian Express, S Guruswamy, the president of the Federation of Wine Merchants Association Karnataka, said, “There are a lot of technical glitches in the new online system, hence we couldn’t order the stocks on time. Several liquor shops, pubs and bars are running out of stocks, which is directly affecting both merchants and the customers.”
Earlier, merchants would transfer money and get the orders. Few merchants would order over the phone and transfer the money to KSBCL depots through RTGS. “We welcome the new system of raising the indent but there are errors, it is difficult to place orders between the 9 pm-9 am window. We need at least one month to adjust to the new system till then KSBCL should allow us to order offline. Many retailers got into huge losses as they had no liquor to serve the customers since the new online system was introduced,” explained Guruswamy.
On Wednesday, many liquor merchants held a protest against the new system in front of KSBCL depots across the state and submitted a memorandum to the depot managers.
“There is a severe shortage of beer and Indian Made Liquor(IML) in the state as only 20 per cent of the retailers know how to order through the new system and the rest are into huge losses as retailers are not able to order stocks through the new system and couldn’t meet the customer demand. The old system was scrapped unilaterally without testing the new software or fixing technical glitches,” Federation of Liquor Merchants Association chief secretary B Govindaraj Hegde told The Indian Express.
“We have requested the KSBL to postpone the implementation of the new system till the system is tested and the merchants familiarise with the new indenting. Apart from this, we have also suggested a hybrid model where both systems could be used, till new system glitches are fixed,” added Hegde.
Meanwhile, KSBCL managing director P C Jaffer said that the new system has issues now but it is aimed at bringing transparency by removing manual intervention in the data on stocks and that it will be available in real-time. “So far we have identified 13 issues in the new system and resolved nine of these glitches. The remaining glitches will be resolved soon,” Jaffer told The Indian Express.
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