There is a possibility of increasing the old excise duty system implemented in Delhi on September 1 last year. The current policy is set to expire on September 30.

This information has been given by sources. As per media reports, the Delhi government is yet to announce the new policy. In July last year, the government had scrapped the new excise policy and implemented the old one after Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the implementation of the new policy.

The existing excise policy was implemented on September 1, 2022 as a stopgap arrangement till the new policy is formulated and implemented by the Delhi government. The policy was scheduled to end on March 31 but the Delhi government extended it for six months till September 30. Meanwhile, Manpreet Singh, treasurer of the National Restaurant Association (NRAI), said excise license holders for hotels, clubs and restaurants (HCR) category are facing troubles in getting the police verification required for renewal of their permits.

He said renewal of excise licenses till September 30 is likely to be affected as police are not accepting applications for verification saying they cannot entertain every person. The HCR category license is renewed annually and this year, it must be done by September 30 as the existing policy expires on this date.

Singh said, ‘Police have said that the verification process needs to be carried out not by individuals but through a government agency or department. Also, they have expressed their inability to conduct a large number of verifications in such a short period of time. However, he claimed that the excise department has ‘assured’ that there will be no problem in renewal of HCR category licenses due to police verification.