Delhi's record liquor sales in New Year week, sold over 1 crore bottles: Report

Amid the week-long celebrations from Christmas to New Year (December 24 to 31), Delhi saw a sale of over one crore bottles of liquor - worth more than ₹218 crore - a record high in the last three years. The highest liquor sale of 20.30 lakh bottles worth ₹45.28 crore was reported on December 31 - New Year's eve, reported PTI citing officials on Monday.

According to a senior excise department official, a total of 1.10 crore bottles of liquor that included mostly whiskey were sold from December 24 to 31. A total of 14.7 lakh bottles worth ₹28.8 crore were sold in the city on December 24, reported PTI.

Also read: Post-mortem of Delhi woman dragged by car completed: Police

December 27 saw the least number of liquor bottles sold in the capital with little less than 11 lakh bottles worth ₹19.3 crore, the official said.

Meanwhile, in December, the national capital recorded an average sale of 13.8 lakh liquor bottles - the best year-end sale in the last three years, reported PTI citing official data. The Delhi government earned a revenue of ₹560 crore from the sale in December.

In 2021, Delhi saw a sale of 12.52 lakh liquor bottles in December, 12.95 lakh bottles in 2020, and 12.55 lakh bottles in 2019.

Also read: Shallow fog envelopes Delhi as air quality worsens

The high liquor sale comes after the national capital witnessed a massive political showdown between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the Centre over the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raids on deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia over the excise policy which was scrapped by the government. The excise policy had meant the exit of the Delhi government from the retail liquor business in the national capital.

(With inputs from PTI)