Delhi govt allows nine malls to sell alcohol

He said the malls given licenses will have to have a minimum of 1,000 sq ft area to store and sell liquor. “Nine malls have been given licenses to sell liquor. Some of the malls will start selling liquor from June 20,” Walia said.

An official from the Excise department said imported foreign liquor and almost all brands of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) will be available at the malls located across the city,including Laxmi Nagar,Janakpuri,Raja Garden,Rohini and Wazirpur.

The city government late last year had decided to allow sell of liquor in shopping malls to offer the citizens as well as visitors of the Commonwealth Games a better environment to buy liquor.

Delhi got its first liquor outlet at a shopping mall in April when Delhi Government’s premier infrastructure development agency DSIIDC opened an outlet at the luxurious DLF Place mall in Saket. DSIIDC is in the process of opening similar outlets at premier malls also.

Tipplers in the city have welcomed the government decision and hoped that the malls given the liquor license will offer better experience to the buyers than the regular shops.

“Thank God. I do not need to jostle with others at the dingy wine shops. I can just walk into a mall,pick up my favourite brand and drive back home to enjoy a drink,” said Mukesh Aggarwal,a Chartered Accountant from Laxmi Nagar.

Saurabh Bhatia,a software professional from Jungpura Extension,welcoming the move,said care should be taken to ensure that the outlets at the malls do not become any other liquor vend.