Home-Delivered Liquor Worth rupees 4.32 Crore In A Day: Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh residents put orders for home delivery of liquor worth 4.32 crore on Monday evening after the state government approved home delivery at a time when stores are closed due to the Covid lockdown.

As many as 29,000 customers placed orders for home delivery of liquor, with each customer placing an average of 1,483 orders.

On Monday, the state commercial taxes department released an order to the excise commissioner in this regard, which went into effect on Saturday. The step, according to officials, is intended to reduce illicit manufacture, selling, transport, and possession of liquor during the lockdown.

Home delivery of liquor will be available from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. In the state capital of Raipur, twenty-four centres have been developed to facilitate online booking for home delivery.

Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL) will determine which shops will provide home delivery, and customers will be required to pay in advance when placing their order. Orders can be put via the CSMCL mobile app.

Customers can order up to five litres of liquor at a time, and a fee of 100 will be paid for the home delivery service, which is available within 15 kilometres of the store.

The state government has been criticised by the Opposition BJP for the decision, claiming that the government is concentrating on liquor supply rather than treating people during the pandemic.

Responding to the criticism, state Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma said that the decision to begin home delivery of liquor was made in response to instances of illegal liquor sales and deaths caused by the use of sanitisers and alcohol-based medicines as a replacement.

To combat the increase in Covid incidents, the Chhattisgarh government has enforced a strict lockdown in the state. The state recorded 9,120 new cases and 189 deaths in the previous 24 hours on Monday.

Apart from Chhattisgarh, governments in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Punjab have permitted home delivery of liquor despite existing restrictions.