Poor sale of liquor riles vend owners in Mohali

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Mohali, May 7

Liquor vends in Mohali witnessed hardly any sale as only few people turned up to purchase alcohol. Low sale has left owners of liquor vends in the district worried.

According to a random survey of various parts in the district, including Dera Bassi, Zirakpur and Phase 10, 7, 5, 3B2 and other places in Mohali, only one or two customers were seen at liquor vends.

Sunny, an owner of liquor vend, said only 30 per cent sale was witnessed at his vends in the district. “We were expecting fourfold increase in sales as the government has allowed opening of liquor shops in the district after 43 days,” he said.

“The main reason for negligible sale is opening of liquor vends in neighbouring Chandigarh on May 5. Middle and upper middle class persons purchased liquor from Chandigarh while the poor people mostly migrant workers have no money due to no work in view of the lockdown,” he added.

About online orders, Sunny said, “We are not interested for this as it will promote bootlegging. There is not much difference on the retail sale of liquor in Mohali and Chandigarh, but if one orders a carton containing 12 bottles there is difference of Rs 2,000 per carton.”

“A person, who orders liquor on phone, will get acquainted with the delivery man. At a later stage, delivery man will provide customer liquor carton purchased from Chandigarh at much cheaper rate than Mohali. It will cause further loss to liquor vend owners in Mohali,” he added.

Even officials of the Excise and Taxation Department visited liquor vends to check actual sales at their counters, he said.

Arjun Singh, another liquor vend owner, alleged that liquor was smuggled from Chandigarh during the past two days resulting in negligible sale in Mohali. Most people, who were employed in government and private offices in Chandigarh, purchased liquor from the UT, which led to lower sale in Mohali district, he added. 

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