Liquor shops reopened and bars across the city were back to serving customers on Friday, but demand was muted, said those in the trade.
Off-shops opened to long queues of people waiting outside, but the crowd thinned as the day progressed. “Considering the prolonged ban, we had expected far more people throughout the day. It was not to be,” said a distributor who also owns multiple off-shops.
Bars and pubs — barring some of the popular Park Street outlets — were also far from packed during lunch hours. Footfall began to pick up in the evening.
Friday was a working day, and conditions were scorching. The number of vehicles on the road was also lower than usual, as many had been requisitioned for poll duty. As a result, city roads were relatively less crowded, and the impact was visible at pubs and watering holes.
“Not many had turned up for lunch. There could have been several factors. It was very hot. It was a working day. The crowd started picking up from the evening,” said Sudesh Poddar, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India and owner of Manthan, Songhai, and MS Bar and Lounge.
Online liquor sales were also uneven. A Ballygunge resident was able to place an order on an online platform around 11am. However, by around 1pm, a Behala resident found that the “delivery option was not available” on the same platform.
Many stores restricted sales to no more than two bottles per buyer, citing verbal communication from the excise department to prevent hoarding. However, several sellers questioned the practicality of the restriction.
“If people want to, they can visit five stores and take 10 bottles,” said the owner of an off-shop in central Calcutta.
The West Bengal State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) resumed supply on Friday, but some retailers said they did not take in fresh stocks.
“Once the consignment leaves the Bevco storehouse, it is my responsibility. I did not want to take any chances in election season and because of the prolonged ban,” said another retailer.
Park Street was an exception.
Trincas, Bar-B-Q, Mocambo and Peter Cat saw steady business during lunch hours, with the rush increasing in the evening.
“Lunch was good. It was much busier than the past few days have been. Dinner was even better,” said Anand Puri of Trincas.
A senior official of a social club said footfall started improving in the evening.
The excise department had imposed a blanket ban on the sale and service of liquor from Monday (April 20), even in Calcutta and neighbouring areas scheduled to vote on April 29.
The order allowed a brief window — from Friday to 6pm on Saturday — for resumption of sale and service.
Liquor sales will be banned again from 6pm on Saturday and remain suspended till the end of polling on April 29 and again on May 4, counting day.
The usual norm is a 48-hour closure before polling and on counting day.
The blanket ban drew criticism for affecting business and livelihoods. Bengal’s chief electoral officer distanced the Election Commission from the decision and sought clarification from the finance ministry. The excise department functions under the ministry but reports to the poll panel during the model code of conduct period.