Bhubaneswar: Odisha government Saturday allowed ‘home delivery’ of liquor by licensed sellers of foreign liquor and beer across the state except for containment zones and shopping malls.
According to a notification issued by the Excise Department, the decision will come into effect beginning Sunday (May 24).
A ‘special Covid fee’, amounting to 50 per cent of the MRP prevailing last year, will be charged to generate additional revenue for the state government in its fight against coronavirus, Excise Department said. That said, the existing licensees will not be allowed to sell liquor over the counter or in their premises.
The agency further added that home delivery of liquor can be taken up by retailers directly and also through reputed food aggregators, standard technology platforms, delivery service providers etc acting as retail aggregators. However, they have to obtain no-objection certificates (NOC) from the Excise Commissioner for this.
Excise Commissioner has been authorised to decide on the rates for delivery charges from time to time.
The ceiling notified by him at present is Rs 100 for orders up to Rs 1000 and thereafter Rs 25 for every additional Rs 500 order value. In no case, the delivery charge will exceed Rs 300, the department said.
Normal timing for home delivery would be between 7am to 6pm. Orders are expected to be delivered within 6 hours. The retailers and other agencies involved in home delivery have to abide by the legal provisions of maximum quantity of liquor which can be transported in each delivery.
Liquor shop licensees have been asked to prominently display their mobile phone and WhatsApp number, email address and UPI details for receiving the orders and facilitating digital payments outside their shop. At the same time, they have to ensure that there is no crowding in front of their shops.
Meanwhile, Odisha State Beverage Corporation Ltd (OSBC) website (osbc.co.in) will also display the district wise list of ON/OFF shops licensees along with their details and the product-wise latest MRP. It will also display the list of delivery agencies granted NOC by Excise Commissioner.
“The retailers and aggregators shall abide by the MRP notification issued by OSBC from time to time failing which appropriate legal action shall be initiated. No extra charge beyond notified MRP plus delivery charges (as notified by Excise Commissioner) shall be demanded/collected from consumers. In case of electronic payment (inter-bank transaction/credit card etc.), any nominal commission charged by the bank can also be realised from the customer,” the Excise Department notification reads.
The retailers and aggregators will have to follow the legal provisions relating to advertisement and publicity for liquor. “No picture, image, infographics, video etc or alluring offers for promotion of any products or brand will be done through their mobile application, portal, website or any such digital platforms created for placing orders,” the notification adds.
The delivery persons, meanwhile, would be required to carry an ID-card issued by the retailer or the agency and an invoice which will also act a pass to facilitate movement. The invoice of the purchase should clearly reflect the name and address of the customer, the description and quantity of the liquor dispatched with MRP, the time & date of dispatch of the liquor, the price if paid or to be paid, delivery charges, and the bank charges, wherever applicable, separately.
The delivery boys will have to follow all the social distancing norms like wearing masks, maintaining 6 feet distance and using sanitiser frequently. No person having any symptom or is unwell should be engaged for home delivery.
PNN
