New Delhi, Oct. 28 -- Delhi's online liquor booking facility is currently available at 208 outlets operated by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), covering less than 30 per cent of the more than 700 liquor shops run by the four government retail corporations. Outlets operated by the other three corporations remain outside the digital booking system for now.
The DSIIDC said on Wednesday (October 28) that approval for developing the application had been granted by the previous government in December 2024 to improve transparency in liquor sales and prevent "brand pushing" at retail counters.
According to a senior DSIIDC official, the corporation issued the work order for developing the app on January 2, 2025, before rolling it out in November 2025. The service was introduced after the required trials, allowing customers to check stock, book their preferred brands and pay online before collecting their orders. The app is intended to let buyers make informed choices by checking product availability before visiting a shop, while reducing queues and pressure on payment counters. However, the service is currently limited to DSIIDC outlets, with no confirmed timeline for its expansion to the other government-run retail networks. Besides DSIIDC, the three corporations operating liquor shops in Delhi are the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation (DSCSC) and Delhi Consumers' Cooperative Wholesale Store (DCCWS).
Under the booking process, customers select a participating outlet, choose the brand, bottle size and quantity, and complete payment digitally. The application then generates a QR code, which must be presented at the selected shop for verification before the order is handed over.
Customers are required to collect their purchases within 48 hours of payment. There is no provision for home delivery, and liquor cannot be returned after it has been purchased and handed over. Orders can be cancelled before collection.
The facility is available to customers aged 25 and above, in accordance with Delhi's excise rules. Existing purchase limits continue to apply, including up to nine litres of whisky and 18 litres of beer per individual, officials said. DSIIDC officials indicated that the initial response to the service had not been encouraging. Any further expansion would depend on customer uptake, though no specific deadline for extending the facility has been made public. The rollout has also drawn criticism from the Opposition. Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj demanded that Chief Minister Rekha Gupta withdraw the scheme within 24 hours, threatening mass protests and describing it as anti-people.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.