Delhi government has said anyone found consuming alcohol in public places will be arrested.
Delhi will have to fold up its "car-o-bars" or the practice of drinking in parked cars. The Arvind Kejriwal government has said anyone found consuming alcohol in public places will be arrested.
The drive to discourage public consumption of liquor and causing public nuisance would begin on November 7, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday after a meeting of the excise department.
"We have decided on a three-fold approach. Over the next week, special teams will inspect all liquor stores across the city to ensure that licence terms are not violated," Mr Sisodia said.
Simultaneously, he said, the government will run a public awareness campaign, appealing to the public not to consume liquor in public areas. "If someone still consumes liquor in public areas after November 7, we will arrest them and take appropriate action," the minister said.
Public drinking attracts a fine of Rs 5,000 and double the amount if a person creates nuisance in public after drinking. In Delhi and its suburbs, people often convert their parked vehicles into bars, drinking liquor and munching on snacks bought from roadside vendors or takeaways.
Mr Sisodia said special teams of excise officials will survey areas around liquor stores to identify other businesses promoting public consumption of alcohol, like those selling disposable glasses and snacks.
Closed-circuit televisions will be used for fool-proof monitoring, Mr Sisodia said. "We will see if liquor shops have followed last year's order to install CCTVs on their premises. Checks will be conducted to see if these CCTVs are functioning properly," he added.
Manish Sisodia had recently led a team of excise officials to raid four liquor stores in east Delhi after local residents complained that they were violating excise rules.