Grin and beer it! Booze lovers upset as premium brands missing

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 7

Bacchus lovers who adore their sundowners, especially when it comes to quality whisky and beer, are a disappointed lot.

It’s been over a month since the new liquor contractors took over on April 1, but booze lovers are upset as premium brands of beer and whisky are not available in the city.

Premier brands of Scotch whisky like Chivas Regal and Black Dog, Absolut vodka and beers like Corona, Budweiser, Miller, Kingfisher and Carlsberg are not available in the city. Even beer bars and hotels do not have the stock of these liquors.

This has started affecting the hotel industry which is already facing a recession. President of the Punjab Hotels Association Satish Arora said a question mark hangs over the future of bars as they have paid lakhs as fee to the excise department, but are still not getting the supply of beer and whisky.

Arora said this is the peak season for beer but the department is not providing adequate stock of beer and premium brands of whisky. Due to this, bar owners across the state are facing huge losses and many bars are even on the verge of closure.

According to him, the culture of drinking in cars is also affecting their business. People drink in the open sitting in their cars on the road, which is illegal, but is flourishing as the police is not acting on it, he added.

Arora also said that if the department does supply beer and full brands of liquor, then it should return the fees along with interest to the bar owners.

Nikhil Suneja, a local resident who loves his drinks, said it is disappointing that premium brands of beer are not available in the market. He said everyone loves to have beer during the summer, but forget about premium brands, even normal brands are not available in the market this season.

Amritpal Singh, another booze lover, said a similar problem was encountered last year, but it is strange that in summer, beer is not available when it is much in demand and would be easily available when the season for it would be over.

District Excise and Taxation Officer HPS Ghotra said there was some L1 case going on, due to which there has been a delay in the supply of premium beer and whisky brands. He said the department is holding meetings on a regular basis and directing them to regulate the supply of beer and whisky as this is the peak time for it. Ghotra also assured that the supply would soon start.