Gurugram, March 10: Prices of Liquor is set to increase by at least 10% from next Monday in Gurugram, to remain in competition with the market of Delhi. Vendors on Wednesday added that they were planning to withdraw discounts that was introduced earlier to compete with vendors in the Capital a day after the Delhi high court refused to stay the Delhi government’s order prohibiting any discount or rebate on the sale of liquor.

Shopkeepers believe that since liquor in Haryana does not have a maximum retail price (MRP), they can sell it at any price without offering discounts to customers and still offer the best deals than the national capital. Teachers to Protest Nitish Kumar-Led Bihar Govt's Directive to Monitor Liquor Consumption

Many shopkeepers are of the opinion that the increase in price will help them recover the losses they suffered over the past two years due to the pandemic.

Gurugram has about 282 liquor shops, mostly in prime locations.

The deputy commissioner of excise and taxation, Gurugram, VK Beniwal, said that the owners of liquor shops have been asked not to charge too high prices and action will be taken against those found guilty.  Maharashtra Government Cuts Excise Duty On Imported Foreign Liquor by 50 Per Cent

Delhi’s introduced a new excise policy November 2021 which enabled liquor retailers in Delhi for the first time to sell bottles at a discount, or with offers. Until then, liquor could only be sold at the price prescribed by the state excise department.

After Delhi shopkeepers started giving heavy discounts, people from Gurugram, Noida and Faridabad, among other NCR cities, made a beeline to Delhi to pick up bottles at cheap rates due to which Delhi sold 24.5 million litres of liquor in February this year — almost double the average monthly sale of 13.2 million litres in 2019-20. Though it changed on February 28, when the Delhi excise commissioner issued an order discontinuing any discount or rebate on the MRP of liquor, saying such pricing will distort market forces, create a monopoly and promote alcoholism.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 10, 2022 11:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).