No rush at liquor shops in Punjab, vends at many places remain shut

Liquor shops reopened in some parts of Punjab on Thursday after more than 40 days but not many people turned up, which some vendors blamed on loss of jobs due to the coronavirus lockdown and reverse migration of workers from other states.

Contractors in several districts kept their liquor shops shut, seeking a review of the 2020-21 Excise Policy.

While liquor shops opened in Mohali, Rupnagar, Ferozepur, Phagwara among other districts, contractors said they did not open their vends in Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Nawanshahr and some other parts of the state.

The state government has allowed shops including liquor vends to open from Thursday between 7 and 3 pm which is the curfew relaxation timing. The Punjab Excise and Taxation Department had allowed home delivery of liquor.

Unlike in Chandigarh, where people had lined up for buying liquor outside shops a few days ago, there was no rush at vends in other parts of the states wherever they opened.

In Mohali, one of the liquor ...