Maharashtra Government Excise department today released a circular to allow home delivery of liquor with certain guidelines and precautions which are to be followed during delivery amid the ongoing nationwide lockdown to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The move comes in order to avoid residents crowding outside shops during the lockdown.
The guidelines mention that the licensee shall sell the liquor “only in respect for liquor for which he is licensed to sale and shall effect the sale.” The release also stated that the license shall effect sale and delivery of the foreign liquor from within the area of the licensed premises and during the hour as specified.
The owner of the liquor shop during the course of home delivery should also ensure that the person assigned for the delivery should use mask and hand sanitizer at frequent intervals, the state excise department added.
“The order shall be in force and effective until the order of lockdown issued by the government from time to time under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (Act 53 of 2005) or any other Act in force in the state,” the state excise department said in a statement.
Along with that, the state excise department has decided to start an online token system on a pilot basis for sale of liquor in Pune city to avoid crowding at shops. The system can later be replicated in Mumbai as well, according to officials.
The move came after tipplers gathered in large numbers outside liquor shops at several places in the state last week, defying the physical distancing norms to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Under the new system, a person can get a token by registering on the state excise departments portal and then go to the shop to buy liquor, a senior department official said on Monday.
News Source: Livemint