Nearly half of Delhi's liquor licensees apply for renewal

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Around half of Delhi's hotels, clubs and restaurants with excise licenses to serve liquor applied for renewals within 24 hours of the excise department issuing a circular mandating fresh licenses, two officials aware of the matter said on Saturday. A liquor store in Delhi. (AFP)
The officials cited above added that approximately 40% of Delhi's 713 government-run retail liquor stores have also submitted renewal applications. They clarified there is currently no threat of a disruption in liquor supply in the Capital.
On Friday, the Delhi government extended the existing liquor policy till March 2026 — one of the longest such extensions since the controversial 2021-22 excise regime was scrapped in September 2022 over alleged irregularities.
Delhi has around 1,000 licensees in the hotels, clubs, and restaurants (HCR) category, including L16 (independent restaurants), L17 (hotels), and L18 (clubs). 'By Saturday afternoon, roughly 50% of HCR licensees had applied through the excise portal. The entire process, including payment, is online. We are working to ensure that those who pay the required fees get their renewed licenses before June 30,' said an excise official.
The apparent urgency stems from the fact that the existing licenses — issued in March — expire on June 30. Without renewal, establishments cannot order fresh liquor stock or serve alcohol from July 1 onward. The tight deadline has left the hotels, clubs, and restaurants across the city are scrambling to renew their licenses in time, one of the officials cited above said.
The official added that 40% of the retail stores run by the four Delhi government corporations have also initiated the renewal process.
The e-Abkari portal handles the online application process, which requires licensees to upload documents such as a fire NOC and trade license. 'Once submitted, the documents are verified within two hours. If cleared, a payment link is emailed and texted to the applicant. After payment, the license is automatically generated,' said another excise department official.
Despite the streamlined process, many restaurant owners have expressed concern over the short notice. 'We've been given just three days before the June 30 deadline. Two of those are weekend days, when we're busiest. The process is quick, but document scrutiny still takes time. The government should have given us at least a week,' said the owner of a Connaught Place restaurant, requesting anonymity.
The government's decision to extend the current liquor policy again underscores the ongoing uncertainty around Delhi's excise framework. A new policy has been in the works for over 33 months but is yet to be finalised. Friday's extension means the city will continue operating under the 2020-21 excise policy, which has already been extended five times.
Sandeep Anand Goyle, Delhi chapter head of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), urged the government to expedite the rollout of the new policy. 'The government has extended the current regime till the end of the financial year, but we request that a new excise policy be announced soon to encourage investment, employment, and to curb the flight of business to neighbouring cities. This will also boost government revenue,' he said.
Excise officials, however, maintained that all applications submitted before the June 30 deadline will be processed on priority. 'There is no cause for panic. All establishments that follow the procedure and pay the required fee on time will receive their renewed licenses without disruption,' one of them said.