Published 14:45 IST, May 8th 2020
In Madhya Pradesh district, indelible ink used to mark liquor shop customers amid Covid
Liquor shops across the country had witnessed a rush and there have been instances of overcrowding, violating all social distancing norms amid the Covid crisis
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Hoshangabad's District Excise Officer Abhishek Tiwari has opted to apply indelible ink to keep people from purchasing liquor repeatedly in the Madhya Pradesh district. The state government has allowed liquor shops to reopen after announcing the extension of the lockdown across the country.
Indelible link on patrons
Speaking to ANI, Tiwari said, "The indelible ink is being applied to the index finger of buyers coming to purchase liquor, in Hoshangabad district. It's being done to trace people in near future if needed. Besides, all the customers are being asked to put down their names, address and mobile number in the register kept at the liquor shops."
He added that the shops have not witnessed a rush to purchase the commodity.
Alcohol shops across the country have seen a rush and there have been instances of overcrowding, violating all social distancing norms.
Earlier this week, enthusiasts from across the national capital turned up at stores to fill in their stocks. The scene at various locations soon turned dire soon as impatient buyers forgot to follow rules set by the government amid Coronavirus pandemic. Delhi government, in a bid to decrease the rush, levied 70% tax on liquor in the national capital, with other states issuing measures to follow suit.
On Thursday, the Delhi government launched an e-token system that allows people to book a time slot for buying alcohol in order to decrease overcrowding. Instead of spending hours in a line, customers can apply for a coupon online and visit the shops then.
The buyers will require to fill the address of liquor shop in their area along with their mobile number and other details while applying for e-token. The tokens will be sent on the mobile phones of the registered persons.
There will be two different queues at liquor shops- one for people with tokens and one for those who don't have it. A fixed number of tokens will be issued for every hour. At present, 160 liquor shops are permitted open in Delhi as only stand-alone shops are allowed to open.
14:45 IST, May 8th 2020