The Delhi excise department has issued a warning to hotels, clubs, and restaurants serving liquor. According to officials, these establishments face the risk of “stern action,” which includes the possibility of license cancellation, if they fail to install functional CCTV cameras on their premises. The department’s enforcement branch has observed instances of non-functional closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras during routine inspections conducted at certain clubs, hotels, and restaurants.
“It hampers the inspection work of the excise department,” an official said.
According to a senior official from the department, inspection teams depend on CCTV footage acquired from hotels, clubs, and restaurants to identify violations. Unfortunately, the licensees frequently refuse to provide the footage, claiming that their cameras are not working properly.
“In view of the above, all the licensees of hotels, clubs and restaurants holding excise licences are hereby directed to ensure that the CCTV cameras are installed at appropriate locations within and outside the licensed premises and that they are properly functional and all the activities at the premises with a proper back-up of CCTV coverage are recorded without any break,” a notice issued recently by the department said.
Non-compliance will be “viewed seriously”, it added.
As per the notice issued, if the inspection teams discover non-functional CCTV cameras at hotels, clubs, and restaurants without a valid justification, it will be regarded as a deliberate lapse. In such cases, strict action, including the potential cancellation of the license, may be taken against the responsible party.
“During inspection, our teams face problems in verifying the claims of the licensees due to a lack of CCTV footage. A common excuse given by those against whom we have complaints is that the cameras are out of order,” the officer said.
The senior officer mentioned that there have been occurrences where licensees and their staff have engaged in altercations with inspection teams during raids.
“The licensees seek to disown any irregularities like more than the permissible number of seats allowed at their premises and such others. But when we demand CCTV footage from them, they claim it to be unavailable due to technical reasons,” the officer said.
The senior officer emphasized that the installation of CCTV cameras at licensed premises is a crucial requirement for obtaining an excise license. The owners of clubs, hotels, and restaurants serving liquor should not disregard this requirement, as it holds significant importance.
