After lockdown announcement, rush at liquor vends

New Delhi: Long, serpentine queues were seen outside liquor shops in Delhi soon after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s announcement of a six-day lockdown on Monday, with tipplers braving the sun for hours and occasionally breaking into heated arguments.

Many lost patience as the mercury climbed and some even tried to jump queues, leading to minor disagreements and altercations at some places.

An association of liquor companies, meanwhile, came out with a statement urging the Delhi government to start home delivery of alcoholic beverages in the city, on the lines of Maharashtra, to ease the rush.

Waiting for his turn in one such queue in south Delhi, Ravinder Saxena said he wanted to stock up as he believed there are chances that the lockdown will be extended further.

“Liquor helps keep negative thinking out of your mind,” he said, while waiting for his turn. “There are many people at the shop, and I will try to buy at least six to eight bottles for myself,” Saxena added.

Bharat Sharma, a resident of Dilshad Garden, said the moment he came to know about the lockdown, he reached the local liquor shop along with a friend. “We waited for more than one hour and somehow managed to get three bottles,” he added.

With similar reports from across the city, the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) issued a statement saying, “What we saw today was panic reaction from the public, driven by their memory of lockdown extensions last year. For lakhs of people all over India, alcohol is part of regular consumption basket that they do not wish to be deprived of.” “While we hope that the public and shopkeepers in Delhi adhere to COVID-appropriate behaviour, steps to reassure public would help. Decision of Maharashtra to allow home delivery of liquor, for example, has helped contained panic reaction to lockdown there. We urge the Delhi government to think of such steps,” Vinod Giri, CIABC director general, said in the statement.