Home delivery of alcohol during lockdown: Mamata govt to give green light?
Sources claimed that after sweet shops and flower markets, the Mamata Banerjee government is going to exempt liquor also. Reportedly, the West Bengal Excise Department is about to launch home delivery service for alcohol in Kolkata and elsewhere in West Bengal during the lockdown soon.
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Alcoholics have been facing serious problems during the 21-day lockdown. Consuming alcohol is a daily habit for many, but they are trapped for weeks with dry days. Some of them have bought a few bottles in advance, but how much can one stock? Desperate, many of them break lockdown rules and get out to the streets. To prevent the situation, some states are now thinking whether rules can be relaxed in case of liquor. The newest addition to this list is West Bengal.
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After sweet shops and flower markets, the Mamata Banerjee government may exempt liquor stores from the lockdown also, claimed sources. Reportedly, the West Bengal Excise Department is about to launch home delivery service for alcohol soon in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal. That means, customers will get their precious bottles delivered directly to their home during the lockdown.
How will this delivery system work? The sources claimed that customers will be able to order alcohol by calling their local liquor stores. Orders can be placed between 11am and 2pm. Then according to the orders, liquor will be delivered to the concerned persons from the shop. For this, each delivery boy will need three lockdown passes. It is mandatory to have the signature of the OC of the local police station and divisional in-charge of the police on those passes. Deliveries have to be accomplished by 5pm.
Sources claim that the Mamata Banerjee government is moving towards adopting this alternative system to ensure that consumers don’t go to stores to buy alcohol. Reportedly, the excise office has already had a meeting in this regard with Kolkata and West Bengal Police officials on Wednesday. It has apparently been decided that outside this home delivery system, no sale of alcohol will be allowed. If someone goes to the shops to buy alcohol, the person may be arrested for breaking lockdown rules.
However, Kolkata police have not yet confirmed the news. Kolkata Police commissioner Anuj Sharma said he had no such information. He also stated that this is a subject of the excise office and only they can give any information regarding this.
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