New Delhi : Restaurants and bars across Delhi were left high and dry on Monday, a day after their product licenses expired.
Vikrant Batra, co-founder and director of Batra Brothers Food and Beverages, said the policy was expected to be extended for a month but no fresh notification was received till Monday evening.
“Our licenses expired on the midnight of July 31. While we are expecting a hearing from the excise department soon, as of now, we have not. We have already lost a day’s revenue due to reduction in liquor sales as well as cancellation of many guests who want to organize big events in Delhi.”
Batra runs the popular chain Cafe Delhi Heights, which has around 10 outlets in Delhi alone.
Another bar owner said that they simply got caught in the crossfire between the central government and the state.
“We don’t know how to proceed. The Delhi government decided to withdraw it and we are suffering from a policy paralysis. Haryana, on the other hand, which has a BJP-led government, has an even more liberal excise policy, Where even vendors can sell till 8 in the morning, why is Delhi being singled out? What do we do with all the liquor we have already stocked up on?” The person said requesting anonymity.
On July 30, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters that the state government had withdrawn its new excise policy that came into force last October.
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