Of 1,134 liquor smuggling cases in Delhi, why more than half are from areas bordering Haryana

“Interstate smuggling of liquor largely happens through the Haryana borders. One of the key reasons behind this is the deployment of weak security… Proper checking and enforcement are a big issue, especially at Haryana’s border areas. The department’s enforcement team has also observed that liquor is coming directly from the manufacturer and warehouses…,” said a senior excise official.

The official said the disparity in liquor prices between Delhi and Haryana is another major reason behind inter-state smuggling.

“Liquor is costlier in Delhi when compared to Haryana. Also, there are private vends and wholesale shops in Haryana where customers get good offers on liquor. So, most of the time, people buy from these shops in bulk and smuggle the same into Delhi to sell the stuff illegally…”

Asked if the non-availability of some liquor brands in Delhi — which have been named in the excise policy scam case — is also a reason behind inter-state smuggling, another senior official said, “Initially, when the new liquor policy was scrapped, there were issues. But in a few months, a large number of brands registered in Delhi. Certain brands are not allowed in Delhi, as these are involved in the excise policy scam case… But more than 900 registered brands are available in Delhi… So, that is not the case.”

The official added that not many such cases can be found when it comes to other NCR borders like Noida and Ghaziabad, as liquor in Delhi is cheaper than in Uttar Pradesh.

“To stop illegal smuggling and supply, the Excise department has increased surprise inspections and is also conducting raids every Saturday,” said an official, adding that a special enforcement drive was launched recently by the department.

After the old liquor policy was scrapped, only 792 government-run liquor vends operate in Delhi. Four corporations — Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, Delhi Consumers’ Cooperative Wholesale Store Limited, Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, and Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited — run these vends.

According to industry sources, however, Delhi is also facing a shortage of popular brands of beer such as Kingfisher and Corona. These, however, are available in NCR cities.

Officials said this also leads to revenue loss and illicit liquor supply in the city.

Sources in the Excise department said it will be writing to the four corporations to order more popular brands of beer to stop illegal supply and provide better availability to people in Delhi.