After getting wasted on a Saturday night, most of us often complain about how bars and liquor shops should be open post-midnight to satiate our daru cravings. Well, there is a piece of good news for all of you living in Gurgaon, Faridabad and Panchkula.
The Haryana government unveiled its new excise policy for the year 2020-21. And according to it, the bars that now remain open only till midnight in Gurgaon, Faridabad and Panchkula can soon remain open till 1 am.
As reported by NDTV, the new excise policy of the Haryana government also makes beer and wine cheaper and reduces the licence fees for restaurants and hotels that serve liquor. However, the shops will have to pay an additional annual licence fee of Rs.10 lakh per hour if they want to extend their closing time by another two hours after 1 am.
According to The Indian Express, the new rules will kick in on April 1. The excise duty on beer across categories has been slashed by Rs.10 per bulk litre. In a cabinet meeting, chaired by CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala said that a new category of ‘super mild’ beer has also been created which will attract a duty of Rs.35 per bulk litre.
However, country-made liquor will cost more as the excise duty has been increased. The duty on hard liquor or Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) remains the same.
In the meeting, he indicated that the process of initiating a temporary one-day licence for serving of liquor in functions or parties can be now done by filling an online form. The rule also stated that commercial establishments organising parties will have to mandatorily get themselves registered with the Excise and Taxation Department, reported India Today.
They will have to acquire a temporary license at a fixed price of Rs.7500. However, the temporary licence for a person serving liquor at their private places has been enhanced from Rs.500 to Rs.1000.
Under the new policy, the licence fee for bars in four-star hotels has been reduced from Rs.38 lakh to Rs.22.5 lakh per year. But for three-star hotels, it has come down from Rs.20 lakh to Rs.15 lakh, except those in Gurgaon and Faridabad.
You might be feeling on the top of the world after reading this. But remember, cheap or expensive, alcohol is injurious to health.
Disclaimer: We don’t encourage the consumption of alcoholic beverages.