Booze rates hit through the roof, Gurugram residents fume
GURUGRAM: Several city residents were left fuming on Tuesday as they were allegedly overcharged for booze at liquor shops which opened in Gurugram on Monday, after a gap of 21 days.
They also claimed that the same brand was sold at different prices at different shops.
Pankaj Mehta, a resident of DLF Phase 1, said that he paid double the price for beer and scotch at an outlet on Golf Course Road on Monday morning. “The shopkeeper told me that they have limited stock and the liquor shops might get closed again. I checked with two shops but their prices were the same and they said they were ready to face action if complaints were made to the officials,” he said.
The Haryana government’s excise policy has fixed the minimum selling price (MSP) of liquor, but there is no cap on maximum price, because of which liquor prices vary from outlet to outlet. The concept of not standardising retail price gives a free hand to the vends to sell at prices that they want to.
Another resident Chandresh Sahani, a resident of Sector 48, said liquor shops have set their own terms. “When I objected to the overpricing, he refused to sell liquor to me and asked me to buy from another shop. There is no fixed price and they were selling a beer bottle for ₹350 instead of ₹180,” he said.
Residents alleged that liquor shops were looting people and were charging twice the retail price. Mukesh Hans, a resident of Sector 45, claimed that he paid ₹4,500 for a bottle for scotch which he used to buy for ₹2,200, and Jacobs Red Wine for ₹1,700, which he used to get for ₹900. “There exists no law and order in Gurugram,” he said.
The government had levied a variable Covid cess on liquor items during the lockdown last year but it was removed in the new excise policy, said officials.
Meanwhile, shopkeepers denied claims of overcharging and said they have already suffered huge losses. They also pointed out that they have to sell their existing stock by June 11 — the deadline set by the excise department after extending it by 19 days. “We are not charging double the price. People are asking for discounts that we are not offering due to which they are threatening to post against us on social media,” said one of the shopkeepers on Golf Course Road.
Dr Anirudh Sharma, deputy excise and taxation commissioner (DETC) (west), said they received a few complaints on Monday, following which all liquor licence holders were directed to ensure they do not overcharge. “There is no scarcity of stock in the city; so people should not believe in these rumours,” he said.
Sharma said the complaints were resolved.