Delhi: Aadhaar card to catch a drink at pubs?

A CADD survey reported in last year that people in the age group of 18 to 25 have easy access to alcohol at bars, liquor vends, pubs and restaurants.

You might soon have to carry a valid age proof like voter ID card or Aadhaar card to buy alcohol at Delhi’s liquor vends, bar and pubs.

This is if a slew of recommendations of well known NGO Community Against Drunken Driving (CADD). The organization has been working in collaboration with Delhi Police for 15 years to stop drunk motorists and underage drinking.

Post a meeting, excise commissioner Amjad Tak asked CADD founder and safety expert Prince Singhal to come out with a blue print a couple of days back.

In Delhi, even though it is illegal to sell liquor to anyone whose age is below 25 years. But a recent CADD survey found that people in the age group of 18 to 25 have easy access to alcohol at liquor vends, pubs, bars and restaurants.

“The implementation of compulsory age check should be applied to all liquor selling outlets in Delhi (liquor vends, clubs, hotels, bars, pubs and beverage outlets) wherein the age of any person who looks to be above 18 and below 30 years of age should be checked with the help of a biometrics age match using either Aadhaar card/ election I-card or any other,” as per the recommendations.

In addition to proposing suggestions to make age check mandatory at drinking outlets, an amendment of the Delhi Excise Act to make the host of outlets, pubs, venues of parties etc. liable in cases of incidents such as scuffle or drunk-driving accident has also been recommended.

It also suggested that “The host of a party (an individual or an organization) should also be held liable if:

1. a) Any underage person consumes alcohol in the said gathering
   b) Any incident like scuffle between people, drunk driving accident / death is caused by any person below or above the age of 25 years in the said gathering
   c) Adult buying alcohol for a minor

Any person selling, providing alcohol to a minor should be fined with Rs 50,000 or should be sent to jail for 3 months or both and any underage person caught buying, consuming alcohol with a false ID or Aadhaar card should be penalised with Rs 10,000, the NGO says.

The recommendation says that “License of any establishment from where alcohol is sold to a minor should be cancelled for a minimum time period of 90 days along with a penalty of Rs 2 lakh and in case of a repeated offence, the license should be cancelled permanently along with a fine of Rs 5 lakh.” The CADD survey which forms the basis of these recommendations was conducted between June 1 and August 31 last year. The study was done to review if the law (age cut off under the Excise Act) is implemented and if the age of buyers is checked at point of sale or service of alcohol.

Singhal said the survey was conducted outside 50 major liquor vends, restaurants, bars and pubs wherein 3,976 were male and 2,024 were female respondents were assessed in Delhi region.

“All the respondents were all above the age of 18 years. 3,422 respondents were in the age group 18-25 years. It was shocking to know from them that any person between the age of 18-25 years can buy alcohol without being checked for age at the liquor shop,” Singhal said.

Some of the major areas where survey was conducted are Hauz Khas Village, DLF Mall Saket, Promenade, CP, South Ex, Khan Market, S Ambience Mall Vasant Kunj, DA Market, Rajouri Garden, Green Park, Ambience Mall, New Friends Colony, Pitampura , V3S Mall, EDM Mall, Star City Mall and Gymkhana petrol pump.