Delhities will have to wait longer to get a sip of chilled tapped beer as the proposal approved by the Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, last year, to set up microbreweries in the city has been lying pending with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for over six months now.

The Capital, so far, does not have a single microbrewery and the residents have to travel all the way to Gurugram. According to the sources, the file was received by the DDA in December and yet no decision has been taken, so far.

The L-G had given his approval to microbreweries late last year, omitting them from the \”prohibited\” activities in the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD). It was felt that a microbrewery, unlike an industrial unit, was a small set-up and was, therefore, not a polluting facility. The excise department had said the possibility of pollution due to residues at microbreweries producing up to 500 litres of beer a day had been assessed and determined not to be the cause of pollution.

The environment department then proposed the requisite change in the MPD to DDA. “We are also waiting for the approval from the DDA. Once the file gets cleared, we will give the license to the restaurants who have applied for it,” said a senior Delhi government official.

According to the sources, once the DDA approves it, the excise department will speed up the process.

While the decision to allow microbreweries was taken three years ago by the Delhi government, the delay in the implementation forced many, who had applied for a licence to shift base, mainly to Gurugram, where most of the National Capital Region’s beer brewing facilities are installed.

Excise data shows that beer is in big demand in summer, with restaurants often facing a shortage of the sought-after beer brands. Realising the revenue potential, the Delhi government changed its policy to allow microbreweries in the Capital.

The National Restaurant Association of India estimates the market in India for in-house brews at Rs 10,000 crore. However, investors will be careful, given that installing a brewery is expensive and requires around 1,000 square metres of space.

A FIRST

Delhi so far does not have microbreweries and residents have to travel to Gurugram