Lockdown extension: Liquor shops to open between 10 am to 7 pm in red, orange and green zones in UP

Pankaj Shah | TNN | May 3, 2020, 20:10 IST

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LUCKNOW: After keeping them closed during the first two phases of the lockdown which spanned over a period of almost 40 days, UP government on Sunday announced opening of liquor shops in red, orange and green zones. The decision would apply only in areas outside the containment zones.
Announcing the decision, additional chief secretary, information and home, Awanish Awasthi said that the facility will be available between 10 am to 7 pm only. He said that the buyers would be required to follow social distancing norms while buying liquor from the shops in the three zones.
According to the guidelines issued by UP chief secretary, RK Tewari, consumption of liquor at public places will, however, be banned. Also, not more than five people would be allowed at the liquor shops.
The decision is seen as the state government’s move to mop up revenue which got hit because of strict compliance of phase-1 and phase-2 of lockdown.
As a matter of fact, the UP government on April 25 had offered concession in the excise policy and allowed them to sell the existing stock at 2019-20 prices. This also means that liquor could be bought for prices before March 24, when the lockdown came into effect.
In a statewide assessment it was found that lakhs of cartons of hard liquor and beer could not be sold following the closure of shops in the wake of lockdown. This had led to major losses for the excise department which the state government now seeks to make up for.
The new excise policy was to be implemented from April 1 but it was kept in abeyance following the nationwide lockdown.