Liquor vends and shops in Delhi have run out of beer as summers and weekends are approaching. Consumers are saying that their favourite brands are unavailable and that the shops are selling beer at room temperature instead of chilled beer.
A consumer outside a Connaught Place liquor vented his frustration about their favourite beer brand being available and said shops are selling brands they have never heard before.
The customer said, “They are offering brands whose names I am hearing for the first time. None of my two-three favourite ones is available.”
Another consumer from Laxmi Nagar mentioned liquor shops were selling beer at room temperature. The customer complained, “I used to pick up a couple of bottles and drink them after reaching home. Now, they are selling beer at room temperature.”
Reacting to these complaints, a senior excise official told the news agency PTI that complaints of brands being unavailable are generic and there is no specific complaint of any beer brand missing at the shops. He added corporations had placed tenders for refrigerators and coolers, which will be available at liquor shops soon.
Vinod Giri, director general of the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies, said beer shortage in the market is due to a lack of production in Delhi and dependence on suppliers in other states.
"In summers, when supply is low, those states force the companies to cater first to the local demand in order to protect their taxes. Also, company margins are low in Delhi and during short availability, the companies tend to direct supplies to the more profitable markets," he said.
The Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies director general alleged that some companies are hesitant to supply to government-owned shops due to compliance concerns and issues related to the excise policy.
He added that all liquor shops in Delhi are government owned. Giri also said there are issues rooted in other states which the Delhi government has little ability to influence.
Four Delhi government undertakings are engaged in retail liquor sale via over 550 stores across the city under the current excise regime. These are Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (DSCSC) and Delhi Consumer's Cooperative Wholesale Store Ltd (DCCWS).
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