Noida administration asks residents to report those buying liquor from Delhi, Gurugram; reveals fine
Officials have made this appeal to spread public awareness of excise regulations and boost revenue from liquor sales.
The Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration has asked Noida residents to report individuals who are purchasing alcohol from neighbouring Delhi and Gurugram, where liquor is cheaper compared to Uttar Pradesh.
Officials have made this appeal to spread public awareness about excise regulations and boost revenue from liquor sales. It has been assured that the identities of those filing complaints will be kept confidential, The Indian Express reported.
District Excise Officer Subodh Kumar told The Indian Express, “In Uttar Pradesh, bringing or consuming liquor from outside the state (Haryana, Delhi or any other state) is a punishable offence. For this act, a case can be registered against the person under Section 63 of the Uttar Pradesh Excise Act 1910 and he/she can be sent to jail, and under Section 72, the vehicle of the person transporting illegal liquor can be confiscated.”
He added that Uttar Pradesh allows only a single open bottle of alcohol from another state. Kumar emphasised that violations of this regulation incur a minimum penalty of ₹5,000.
According to excise department records, the district collected ₹892 crore in revenue from liquor sales over the last six months (from July to December 2023), reflecting a 15.54 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2022, when revenue amounted to ₹772 crore, The Indian Express reported.
The district has set a revenue collection target of ₹2,324.78 crore for the fiscal year 2023-24. As of December 2023, it has already collected ₹1,342.87 crore, achieving 84 per cent of the target.
In terms of liquor consumption, data reveals that, from July to December 2023, the district saw the sale of 75,38,735 bottles of foreign liquor, 2,74,99,400 cans of beer, and 1,11,35,996 litres of domestic liquor.
These figures represent an increase compared to the same months in 2022, with the sale of foreign liquor rising by 7,15,723 bottles, beer by 67,54,497 cans, and domestic liquor by 11,18,611 litres. In the corresponding period in 2022, residents in the district consumed 2,07,44,903 cans of beer, 68,23,012 bottles of foreign liquor, and 1,00,17,385 litres of country-made liquor.
