Noida: According to officials on Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh excise commissioner has formed a five-member committee to propose appropriate measures, such as extending bar hours and granting liquor license to food and beverage (F&B) establishments in IT parks, in an effort to boost excise revenue and enhance nightlife in Noida and Ghaziabad.
The DEOs of Ghaziabad and Noida, restaurateurs from Noida, liquor store vendors, and Jogendra Singh, the joint director (statistics) of the UP excise department, met on Friday in Greater Noida to discuss how to improve the NCR cities’ excise laws and state policy.
The DEOs of Ghaziabad and Noida, restaurateurs from Noida, liquor store vendors, and Jogendra Singh, the joint director (statistics) of the UP excise department, met on Friday in Greater Noida to discuss how to improve the NCR cities’ excise laws and state policy.
The committee was constituted on Friday by Uttar Pradesh excise commissioner Adharsh Singh, according to district excise officer (DEO) (Noida) Subodh Kumar, in order to propose fresh ideas for generating income for the excise department.
“The team comprises district excise officers from Noida, Ghaziabad, and Muzaffarnagar as well as Alok Kumar, the deputy excise commissioner (licencing), and is chaired by Jogendra Singh, the joint director (statistics), UP excise department,” he stated.
Since he has been the DEO of Noida for three years and can offer insights, Kumar added that Rakesh Bahadur Singh, the DEO of Muzaffarnagar, has been enlisted as a member.
The UP excise commissioner’s instruction from May 2 (a Thursday) emphasises that Noida and Ghaziabad are NCR cities, and that the locals’ per capita income and economic activity are comparable to those of other NCR cities.
“It is crucial to look for additional revenue streams for the excise department in this situation. It says, “The committee has fifteen days to submit a report on this.”
In response to the letter, a meeting was arranged for Friday in Greater Noida, which included the DEOs of Ghaziabad and Noida, liquor shop vendors, and joint director (statistics) of the UP excise department Jogendra Singh. According to officials, they talked on how to improve NCR cities’ excise laws and state policies going forward.
According to Varun Khera, the president of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) chapter in Noida, the organisation requested authorization to allow bars to stay up till four in the morning. In Noida, they can currently stay open till one in the morning.
As in Delhi and Gurugram, we proposed allowing bars in Noida to remain open until three or four in the morning. This is significant since clubs in Delhi and Gurugram are allowed to remain open late at night because to the development of their nightlife, the speaker noted.
DEO Kumar went on to say that in order to allow for the time extension of bars in the NCR cities, the excise department is considering including special provisions in the excise act.
He mentioned that some people now travel to Delhi or Gurugram in order to attend late-night events because of time constraints.
“People will be able to dine at bars and restaurants until late thanks to the time extension in UP’s NCR cities, which will also increase government revenue.” We intend to extend the bar’s hours in Noida by a few hours. It will be remembered, nonetheless, that this extension does not result in a situation involving law and order,” Kumar stated.
Furthermore, the excise department intends to provide F&B establishments in the Noida and Greater Noida IT parks with permanent liquor licences. Numerous IT Parks have been constructed in Noida and Greater Noida, according to the excise official.
“As Jewar Airport develops, major corporations will be coming, creating jobs for more people, which will lead to a more active nightlife. We intend to grant permanent liquor permits in this manner to eateries located along the Noida Motorway, in Greater Noida, and in Noida itself,” Kumar stated.
He continued by saying that in order to help cities have easier access to international spirits brands, the department also intends to create special provisions for them.
“GB Nagar’s excise income in 2023–2024 was ₹1,975 crore. If the committee’s recommendations are successfully carried out, we expect to raise this revenue by at least 40–45% the next year, Kumar stated.