UP govt forms committee to raise excise revenue, improve nightlife

Noida: In order to increase excise revenue and improve nightlife in Noida and Ghaziabad, the Uttar Pradesh excise commissioner has set up a five-member committee to introduce suitable measures, such as extending the operating hours of bars, liquor license to F&B (food and beverage) outlets at IT parks, and so on, officials said on Saturday.

According to district excise officer (DEO) (Noida) Subodh Kumar, Uttar Pradesh excise commissioner Adharsh Singh set up the committee on Friday to suggest new ways to raise revenue for the excise department.

“The team is chaired by Jogendra Singh, the joint director (statistics), UP excise department, and includes Alok Kumar, the deputy excise commissioner (licensing), and district excise officers from Noida, Ghaziabad, and Muzaffarnagar as its members,” he said.

Rakesh Bahadur Singh, DEO (Muzaffarnagar), has been enlisted as a member as he has served as the DEO of Noida for three years and can provide insights, Kumar shared.

The directive issued by the UP excise commissioner on May 2 (Thursday) underlines that Noida and Ghaziabad are parts of NCR and the per capita income of local people and economic activities here are also similar to other NCR cities.

“In this context, it is important to explore new sources of revenue for the excise department. The committee is required to submit a report on this within 15 days,” it states.

Following the letter, a meeting was held in Greater Noida on Friday among the Noida restaurateurs, liquor shop vendors, the DEOs of Ghaziabad and Noida, and Jogendra Singh, the joint director (statistics), UP excise department. They discussed way forward to make NCR cities better with its excise rules and the policy of the state, said officials.

Varun Khera, president of the Noida chapter of National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), said that the body sought permission for bars to remain open until 4am. Currently, they are allowed to remain open till 1am in Noida.

“We suggested that the bars in Noida be allowed to open till 3-4am like Gurugram and Delhi. This is important as Delhi and Gurugram nightlife has matured and they give permission for bars to stay open late night,” he said.

DEO Kumar added that the excise department is mulling providing special provisions in excise Act for NCR cities to facilitate time extension for bars here.

He said presently some people cannot enjoy late night parties due to time restrictions and thus go to Delhi or Gurugram.

“The time extension in UP’s NCR cities will help people in dining at bars and restaurants till late and also increase government revenue. We are planning to extend the bar timing for a few hours in Noida. However, this extension will be kept in mind that it does not create a law and order situation,” Kumar said.

Additionally, the excise department plans to grant permanent liquor licenses to F&B outlets at the IT parks of Noida and Greater Noida. The excise official said that several IT Parks have been established in Noida and Greater Noida.

“With the development of Jewar airport, big companies are coming, more people will be employed here and as a result, the nightlife is going to be more happening. In this condition, we are planning to issue permanent liquor licences to food and beverage outlets in Noida, Greater Noida and along Noida Expressway,” Kumar said.

He added that the department also plans to make special provisions for the cities to facilitate international brand liquor availability.

“In 2023-2024, the excise revenue of GB Nagar was ₹1,975 crore. We are hoping to increase this revenue next year by at least 40-45% if suggestions of the committee are implemented effectively,” Kumar informed.