KOLKATA: Most of the liquor stores in Kolkata went dry by early Tuesday evening as hundreds of tipplers — in many cases, multiple members of a family to pick maximum number of bottles — queued up outside the shops since early morning. Retailers fear if liquor continues to sell like this, Bevco — the state beverage corporation — will run out of stock by this weekend, forcing most shops to down their shutters again.
“I made a business of Rs 4.8 lakhs and sold 400 litres of liquor in less than four hours on Tuesday. By 4pm, I was left with only a few bottles of scotch and vodka. Since all manufacturing units are still closed, the supply available with the Cossipore unit of Bevco that supplies booze to us will be over in the next six days,” said an off-shop owner in the Dalhousie area.
Helmets help tipplers maintain the queue and a liquor shop on GC Avenue plastered with notices to remind buyers of lockdown rules
The second day of the booze-buying frenzy saw residents and cops develop unique ways to follow social distancing norms as many kept rucksacks and helmets at earmarked zones and remained seated in a shed. At some places, coupon system was introduced where buyers had to write their names on a piece of paper with a serial number and were allowed to queue up only after the shop opened.
“Things were much in order on Tuesday, far better than the chaos we had experienced at some stores on Monday. Cops helped us a lot in maintaining the social distancing norms and on our part, we ensured that no one was sold liquor without masks and that each person got a maximum of two bottles,” said Shah Jahan Khan, who runs a chain of off-shops at premium areas like Ballygunge, Alipore and Esplanade.
At some places, people even left home in groups, and just like pub-hopping, the group members got distributed queuing up outside multiple off shops to ensure they get to buy as much bottles as possible. “Six of our friends queued up at three different stores in Esplanade and Chandni Chowk. Together, we managed to buy 18 bottles,” said Mithoon Dutta, a resident of Shyambazar, now a containment zone.
At Salt Lake, cops allowed only locals to buy booze and checked ID cards. Those from outside were told to leave.
Some groups have even started house and terrace parties after being left high and dry without liquor for over five weeks. “I had waited with three other friends from 5am on Monday to buy booze. In the evening, we ended up drinking together and finishing the entire stock,” smiled Karan Kapoor, a resident of central Kolkata who was spotted queuing up outside a Bentinck Street store.
Those in search of booze had a reason to justify their rush. “We have waited for 40 days. But if I wait more, the stocks might just dry up. I cannot take that chance,” said Soumaditya Banerjee, a resident of Rashbehari Avenue.
Amidst all the excitement among tipplers, the cops had a tough time managing traffic, supplying food and essentials to those in need, feeding strays and maintaining queues outside liquor shops. “We had deputed around 12 policemen to maintain the queue at a shop in our area. These are the officers who were on duty at the markets in the morning. Even then we called in sergeants from other guards to help us manage the social distancing norm,” said an officer in the Bhowanipore area.
(Inputs from Suman Chakraborti and Zeeshan Jawed)
“I made a business of Rs 4.8 lakhs and sold 400 litres of liquor in less than four hours on Tuesday. By 4pm, I was left with only a few bottles of scotch and vodka. Since all manufacturing units are still closed, the supply available with the Cossipore unit of Bevco that supplies booze to us will be over in the next six days,” said an off-shop owner in the Dalhousie area.
The second day of the booze-buying frenzy saw residents and cops develop unique ways to follow social distancing norms as many kept rucksacks and helmets at earmarked zones and remained seated in a shed. At some places, coupon system was introduced where buyers had to write their names on a piece of paper with a serial number and were allowed to queue up only after the shop opened.
“Things were much in order on Tuesday, far better than the chaos we had experienced at some stores on Monday. Cops helped us a lot in maintaining the social distancing norms and on our part, we ensured that no one was sold liquor without masks and that each person got a maximum of two bottles,” said Shah Jahan Khan, who runs a chain of off-shops at premium areas like Ballygunge, Alipore and Esplanade.
At some places, people even left home in groups, and just like pub-hopping, the group members got distributed queuing up outside multiple off shops to ensure they get to buy as much bottles as possible. “Six of our friends queued up at three different stores in Esplanade and Chandni Chowk. Together, we managed to buy 18 bottles,” said Mithoon Dutta, a resident of Shyambazar, now a containment zone.
At Salt Lake, cops allowed only locals to buy booze and checked ID cards. Those from outside were told to leave.
Some groups have even started house and terrace parties after being left high and dry without liquor for over five weeks. “I had waited with three other friends from 5am on Monday to buy booze. In the evening, we ended up drinking together and finishing the entire stock,” smiled Karan Kapoor, a resident of central Kolkata who was spotted queuing up outside a Bentinck Street store.
Those in search of booze had a reason to justify their rush. “We have waited for 40 days. But if I wait more, the stocks might just dry up. I cannot take that chance,” said Soumaditya Banerjee, a resident of Rashbehari Avenue.
Amidst all the excitement among tipplers, the cops had a tough time managing traffic, supplying food and essentials to those in need, feeding strays and maintaining queues outside liquor shops. “We had deputed around 12 policemen to maintain the queue at a shop in our area. These are the officers who were on duty at the markets in the morning. Even then we called in sergeants from other guards to help us manage the social distancing norm,” said an officer in the Bhowanipore area.
(Inputs from Suman Chakraborti and Zeeshan Jawed)
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