Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia alleged that the BJP threatened the excise officials.
New Delhi:
The Delhi government has decided to withdraw the old scheme of retail liquor sale in the city after the Lieutenant Governor recommended a CBI inquiry into the implementation of the new excise policy.
The old excise policy will be implemented for the next six months as the Delhi government is working to streamline the new policy for 2022-23.
A rough draft of the excise policy for 2022-23 is yet to be sent to Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena for his approval. The excise policy for 2021-22 was extended twice this year after March 31 and will end on July 31.
The Excise Department recommends home delivery of liquor, among other things, in the new excise policy of 2022-23.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate to intimidate liquor licensees and excise officials.
Sisodia alleged, “BJP used CBI, ED to threaten liquor licensees, officials of excise department so that the new excise policy fails.”
“We have withdrawn the new excise policy and have given instructions to open government liquor shops,” he said. “I have also directed the Chief Secretary that there should be no chaos during the transition period.”
Mr Sisodia on Thursday directed the Excise Department to “revert” the old regime of excise policy for a period of six months till the new policy comes out.
According to sources, before the implementation of the new excise policy from November 17, 2021, the Finance Department has sought details of the liquor contracts run by the four corporations of the Delhi government.
Before the 2021-22 excise policy came into force, four corporations – Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi Consumer Co-operative Wholesale Stores (DCCWS) and Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation (DSCSC) – 475 liquor shops run out of total 864 in the city, while private stores, licensed to individuals, number 389.