In November 2021, the Aam Aadmi Party government's new excise policy came into play which led to the exit of government thekas (liquor shops) from the market. It also allowed private thekas to offer discounts and set their own prices instead of selling liquor at fixed government rates.
As alcohol started to sell like hot cakes, the exorbitant discounts attracted the opposition's attention which alleged that the new rules were made in a way to benefit big liquor traders.
Eventually, an investigation was launched by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the new policy and the Delhi government decided to revert to the old one from 1 September 2022, which is why the private thekas around you have been shutting down rapidly, leading to an alcohol crisis in the city.
On the last day of the new policy, we decided to visit some private thekas to gauge the city's mood and to try our luck in getting some whiskey for ourselves.
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