Living in Noida and planning a house party with liquor? Apply for bar licence or face fine

Ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations, Noida's district excise officer has advised people to take liquor licence if they want to throw a party at their home. Not having a liquor licence for parties, even at home or at the community level is a violation of the rules and could attract legal proceedings, including a fine, Subodh Kumar Srivastava, District Excise Officer (DEO), Gautam Buddh Nagar, told news agency PTI.

In Noida and Greater Noida, the excise officials have started reaching out to residents' welfare associations (RWAs) and citizens, informing them about guidelines for procuring occasional licences. Srivastava said that if anyone is serving liquor with a licence, whether it is liquor meant for sale in Uttar Pradesh or outside the state, it is totally illegal. "It will attract action (from the excise department)."

The officer said that occasional licences to serve liquor at parties are available in two categories - smaller gatherings and large gatherings. For individuals where the gathering size is low, like house parties, licence can be procured against a fee of Rs 4,000. For larger crowds like events at community halls, restaurants, or banquets, the licence fee would be Rs 11,000.

These occasional licences would be valid for one day and the applicants can apply for them on the website -- upexciseportal.in -- under the category of useful public services, the officer said, adding that the excise department's public outreach is also showing good results as more people have started applying for the occasional bar licences.

On the objective behind the policy covering even private celebrations, the excise officer said it would ensure that the liquor served at a party would be authentic and not illicit. "This will also make sure that the applicant buys liquor locally which is meant for consumption only within the state and is not procured from other states, which would cause a revenue loss to the government."

The excise department has issued a helpline number 8882120733 where residents can share information on the consumption of illegal narcotics or drugs, or any other tip-off related to liquor use.

Asked how would excise officials come to know if liquor is being served at someone's private party at home, Srivastava said the excise department has a widespread network of informers across the district and also gets information through liquor vends and outlets, which notice abnormally high sales.

"Moreover, sometimes neighbours get annoyed and raise an alarm about nuisance at such parties which leads to offenders landing in the excise net," the officer added.

(With inputs from PTI)