Survey finds 52% citizens want home delivery of liquor in red zones

The government had recently started allowing alcohol shops across the country in a few states including red zones as well to help boost state revenues that have been significantly hit during the lockdown. But due to the mass gathering and violations of social distancing, the government was forced to shut them again.

While a huge number of people are highlighting their concern about the opening up of liquor shops, crowd management, and risk of COVID-19 spread, social media platform LocalCircles has conducted a survey to know the views of the people about how the sale of liquor should work in red zones in their opinion.  

According to the findings, more than half the respondents i.e. 52% stated the administrations should implement a solution for home delivery of liquor in red zones via e-commerce platforms or WhatsApp. The survey claimed to have received 8,078 responses from over 250 districts in India.

Around 16% wanted that the opening time of alcohol shops should be extended, 23% said police must be deployed to ensure social distancing at these shops. 9% were unsure about it. 

Out of the total 8078 respondents, 69% of them were men while 31% of respondents were women. Also, 46% of respondents were from tier 1, 35% from tier 2, and 19% of them belonged to tier 3 and 4 districts, added the survey.

In addition, the report also highlighted how a huge number of people were gathered in a queue as long as 1 km in front of liquor shops to buy their preferred brands. Such instances have made residents living in these areas more worried as this has increased the chances of COVID-19 spread even more. 

This survey has come ahead of food tech major Zomato looking to chart out a plan to deliver alcohol at the doorstep. ISWAI’s executive chairman Amrit Kiran Singh also supported the online delivery of alcohol via these platforms. 

As of now, there is no legal provision for home deliveries of alcohol in India. On Wednesday, the Chhattisgarh government launched an online portal for home delivery of alcohol.