- BMC Allows Home Delivery Of Alcohol Through E-Commerce Platforms In Mumbai and said there will be no over the counter sales.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ( BMC) followed suit one day after the Maharashtra Government allowed online distribution platforms — Swiggy and Zomato — to distribute liquor in the state except for Mumbai.
On Friday BMC allowed sealed liquor bottles to be delivered home in Mumbai Metropolitan region non-containment zones. It has also allowed the delivery of liquor to E-commerce platforms.
“Amendment in the guidelines for liquor shops selling liquor in sealed bottles shall be allowed to operate by selling liquor to customers by making a delivery to extend the lockdown and revise guidelines on the steps to be taken for COVID-19 containment,” BMC order said.
The order will take effect from midnight on May 22nd.
BMC had permitted the opening of liquor shops earlier this month but soon after they ordered their closure, as this leads to overcrowding and people who do not maintain social distance.
However, no over-the-counter selling of liquor is permitted in the city, BMC Commissioner Iqbal Chahal said in the order. The order enters into force from tomorrow (May 23).
There are a total of 581 retail liquor shops in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region-144 in Mumbai city and 437 in the suburbs.
The order arrives, just as COVID-19 positive reports have reached more than 25,000 in Mumbai and the death toll has reached 882.
Swiggy, a unicorn based in Bengaluru, has enabled alcohol online processing and home delivery through the category ‘Wine Shops’ on its app. It began offering the service today in Ranchi after getting requisite approvals from the Jharkhand government. Within a week the service will extend to other major cities in the state.
Swiggy is also in the advanced stages of discussions with multiple governments to support online alcohol processing and home delivery that the company can immediately enable by leveraging its existing technology and logistics infrastructure and national presence.
Speaking of the launch of the category, Anuj Rathi, VP-Goods, Swiggy said, “Swiggy has worked tirelessly since the beginning of the pandemic to address consumer pain points and to help local governments in every way possible. Taking advantage of our existing technology and infrastructure to allow hyperlocal deliveries, we worked closely with local authorities to assist them with initiatives such as increasing grocery delivery and relief efforts for COVID-19.
