DMCR Liquor Rule: UP Excise Dept Says Only One Unsealed Bottle from Delhi/Haryana Allowed

Excise officials here on Saturday warned that Delhi Metro passengers who land in Noida, Uttar Pradesh state with sealed liquor bottles may run into trouble.

Word of the warning comes a day after the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said it would allow passengers to carry up to two sealed bottles of alcoholic beverages on its network.

Besides Delhi, DMRC’s metro network is expanding to nearby cities like Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana and Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. In Uttar Pradesh, excise rules prohibit the import of alcoholic beverages from outside the state, citing a loss of revenue for the state government.

Officials said the current law allows only one unsealed bottle to be imported from neighboring Delhi or Haryana, whether by metro or road. “Although the Delhi Metro allowed passengers to carry two sealed bottles of liquor, the rules of the Uttar Pradesh tax department will apply in the UP territory, irrespective of any changes in Delhi,” Subodh Srivastava, Noida District Tax Officer, told PTI.

The officer added that the excise department will step up vigilance at metro stations and take legal action against those caught with sealed liquor bottles brought from outside UP.

“We will also try to raise awareness among the people about the toll rules in UP to avoid inconvenience to the passengers,” said Srivastava.

Liquor is usually cheaper in Haryana and Delhi than in Uttar Pradesh. On several occasions in the past, people have been arrested bringing sealed bottles of liquor from Delhi to Noida via roads. An official said in such a case, action is taken against the offender under Article 63 of the Excise Law (Penalty for Import, Export, Transport, Manufacture, Possession and Sale Unlawfully) and it is a non-bailable offence.

The DMRC said on Friday that carrying alcohol was prohibited in the Delhi metro until recently except for the Airport Express line and allowing it across the network is part of the policy to achieve uniformity.

According to Delhi Metro, a panel consisting of officials from CISF and DMRC has reviewed the list of items allowed to be carried on trains.

However, the metro operator has required passengers to maintain proper decency while traveling and warned that any passenger behaving inappropriately under the influence of alcohol will face appropriate action as per the law.

(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)