The introduction of a “special Covid” fee on liquor and the increase in the maximum retail price of foreign liquor and beer by 50 per cent of the price prevailing last year have agitated consumers in Odisha.
They allege some liquor traders are charging the special Covid fee on old stocks.
“Liquor shops were closed for the past two months and opened three days back. But they are levying the Covid fee on the old stocks. It’s cheating,” said Uma Shankar Swain, a small-scale trader.
Swain added: “The price of an Antiquity Blue whisky is Rs 1,015. Now they are charging Rs 1,522 for this because of the special Covid fee. It’s too costly. Besides, if we go by the new price list of the Odisha State Beverage Corporation, which supplies liquor to traders, the price should not be more than Rs 1,430. But they are charging Rs 92 extra. There is a chaos in the excise policy and we are being penalised.”
According to a government announcement, the additional revenue generated through the special Covid fee will go towards meeting the expenses being incurred by state government in treating Covid-19 patients and related activities.
Odisha excise secretary S.K. Lohani told The Telegraph: “The Covid fees charged by the traders even on old stocks will be deposited in the state exchequer. A directive to this effect has already been issued to all the retailers. The list of new stocks has been put on the website.”
An agitated Ramesh Das, a vegetable trader, said: “Like any other product, alcohol is another consumable product. When there is no Covid fee being levied on other products, why is the special fee being imposed? As we have no organisation, we are not able to protest against it.”
In spite of the complaints, liquor sales in the state have picked up pace following the government’s decision to deliver alcohol at the doorstep of consumers. “The state reportedly did a business of Rs 11 crore in liquor sales during the last 72-hours,” Saroj Kumar Sethi, managing director, Odisha State Beverage Corporation Ltd, said.
While 672 on/off shop licensees on Monday had joined the home delivery of liquor across the state, on Tuesday all the shops in the state joined the home delivery system.
Swiggy and Zomato have been given the licence for home delivery of liquor.
“Home delivery of liquor can be taken up by retailers directly and also through reputable food aggregators, standard technology platforms, delivery service providers acting as retail aggregators,” an official said.
On Monday itself, 8,420 orders were delivered to homes. “A total of 9,440 bulk litres of foreign liquor and 10,689 crates of beer were sold through home delivery on Monday. Similarly on Tuesday, 13,119 bulk litres of IMFL and 5578 crates of beer were sold,” said Sethi. Now a consumer is allowed to take 5 litres of beer and 2.5 litres of foreign liquor.
Excise commissioner Anjan Kumar Manik said: “All the issues relating to the home delivery system have been resolved. Liquor traders in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack have begun operations.”
Hundreds of consumers were seen queuing up at different liquor shops in Bhubaneswar. Police were deployed near the liquor shops.
“We don’t know how to order liquor online. So we are here to buy beer to beat the scorching summer. But the police did not allow us to buy the bottles. However, my friend who reached here early, managed to carry some bottles,” said Ranjan Kumar Pradan, a roadside eatery shop owner.
The state government has asked the retail traders to display their phone numbers so that the people can place their order through SMS also.
In 2019-20, Odisha earned Rs 4,600 crore as excise revenue and it has set a target of Rs 5,250 crore this year. The lockdown had affected revenue collection adversely.