Drinking age in Capital likely to be lowered to 21

WOOZY DAYS: Delhi govt is all set to say goodbye to the archaic Punjab Excise Act.

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Keywords: Age Bar, Liquor

New Delhi: As the Cabinet gets set to discuss New Delhi Excise Bill to replace the Punjab excise, one of the questions that Delhiites are asking - will the legal drinking age be brought down to 21?

If you are under 25 and have been sneaking drinks on a night out - the wait for a legal drink may be a little longer because even though the Delhi government is all set to say goodbye to the archaic Punjab Excise Act fears of a public backlash has meant that the plan to lower the age for drinking to 21 years will still be debated by the Delhi Cabinet.

Finance Minister of Delhi A K Walia says, “You see there are people who support it there are those who don't. That is why whether to lower the drinking age or not will be decided by the Cabinet.”

The New Delhi Excise Bill 2008 will however be harsh on lawbreakers with proposals that include making boot legging a non-bailable offence, a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh and a jail term up to 6 months for illegally importing foreign liquor and those caught drinking in public places could also face six months in jail.

"We want to control illegal practices. We are planning to be very strict with offenders like bootleggers,'' Walia adds.

The Government is all set to remove the gender bias as far as serving alcohol is concerned so women tending bar might be the norm rather than the exception in the Capital.

However with the Government facing polls in six months time proposals like reducing the number of dry days to just seven in a year and allowing liquor shops to sell up to midnight are ruled out.