COVID-19: Odisha to allow over the counter sale of liquor alongwith home delivery; check date, timings

To avoid crowding in the evening, the shops would be opened from 7 am to 6 pm, the order said.

Odisha liquor home delivery and sale: After allowing home delivery of liquor in the state, Odisha government has decided to further allow over the counter sale of beverages from July 7 onwards, ANI reported.

The report quoted an order from Odisha Excise Department which announced that after home delivery of liquor was allowed from July 1, from July 7 onwards the state government will also be allowing the over the counter sale of liquor in the shops (apart from the shops located in the COVID-19 containment zones).

To avoid crowding in the evening, the shops would be opened from 7 am to 6 pm, the order said. No consumption of liquor would be allowed inside the shop premises, the Odisha Excise Department order further added.

Earlier, keeping in mind the large demand for home delivery of liquor and alcoholic beverage during the COVID-19 lockdown, the Odisha-government-owned OSBC had developed a web portal that would bring all retailers and consumers together on one digital platform. The portal was launched by the state to ensure smooth, hassle-free activities and to create transparency and build accountability, an official of Odisha State Beverage Corporation (OSBC) told PTI.

Odisha government had decided to allow the home delivery of liquor and alcoholic beverages to the existing excise license-holders in the state. Food aggregators and retailers were allowed to directly participate in the home delivery of liquor throughout the state, a PTI report stated.

The state government had also allowed four aggregators — Swiggy, Zomato, Dunia online Pvt. Ltd. And Hip Bar — to deliver liquor and alcoholic beverages in the state, the OSBC official was quoted as saying.

The portal that facilitates home delivery of liquor in Odisha can be accessed at https://www.osbc.co.in . All first-time buyers and retailers will be required to sign-up on the portal to avail the services, the reports said.