The Delhi Govt has reduced the number of dry days from the earlier 21 to just three

In a bit of good news that is certain to cheer up the Capital’s Bacchus devotees, the AAP-led Delhi Government has announced its decision to curtail the number of ‘dry days’ this year from the earlier 21 to just three — the Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti. The 21 ‘dry days’ was one of the highest number as compared to other States and UTs in India. The official order, which was notified on Monday, is part of the city Government’s new excise policy and ensures that the shutters of licensed liquor shops, bars, pubs and opium vends across the city can remain open and these can legally do business except for these three days. While the Government’s decision to curtail the number of ‘dry days’ is welcome in the sense that it would remove the taint of ‘buying liquor illegally’ and instances of bootlegging in a major way, there is hardly any change in the situation expected on the ground. Just as it is a fact that the state of prohibition is a malady both for the taxpayer and for the Government’s coffers, it’s an open secret for decades that regular drinkers stock up their ‘supply’ in the days preceding ‘dry days’.

Even otherwise, alcohol is available at the drop of a hat on ‘dry days’ if one knows his way around the city. However, the positive difference the Government’s decision would make is that a buyer won’t be caught unawares if he fails to take into account in advance the closure of liquor vends to mark one leader’s or another’s birth anniversary. Also, in the days preceding the ‘dry day/s’, it’s become the tendency of the salespersons to often ‘push’ certain brands over the counter owing to the handsome ‘commission’ they pocket from the distributor/manufacturer. Since the supplies run short and the queues get longer each passing minute on such evenings, the experienced buyers know that it is futile to argue with the salesperson or go hunting for his favourite tipple elsewhere. Adding another dimension to the consumer’s “choice” would mean that the latter is harassed less; other such steps such as privatising the liquor vends and opening one in each ward of the Capital have already started showing results since one now does business with a courteous salesperson in a clean and not-so-shady outlet, which was invariably the case earlier.