The per day liquor sale in Delhi during the Diwali weekend saw a 35 per cent rise as compared to the usual days and more than 48 lakh liquor bottles worth Rs 100 crore were sold between Friday to Sunday, said officials Monday. According to a senior Excise Department official, the average sale on a usual day is around 11 lakh to 12.5 lakh bottles but as Diwali was a dry day, liquor sales rose to nearly 20 lakh bottles three days preceding Diwali. Data shared by Excise Department officials shows the average per day sale excluding dry days is around 12,43,7772.80 bottles. While, on the Diwali weekend, from October 21 to 23, 24,87,5,456 bottles were sold. It also shows that 19,42,846 bottles were sold on Sunday, the day before Diwali. "People rushed to wine shops during the weekend, especially on Saturday and Sunday, as Diwali was a dry day. Also, the festivals are being celebrated normally after two years of the pandemic and Covid which led to an increase in the liquor sale," said an official. This year, Chhath Puja has also been declared a dry day in Delhi for the first time.
