Around 4,000 guest houses in Delhi will soon be able to serve liquor to their guests. According to a report in Mail Today, excise minister A K Walia has said that the proposal has been cleared and they will start giving out licences once they get an approval from the state cabinet.

Current excise rules allow only star-rated guest houses to serve liquor to guests. Big hotel projects that were to come up before the Games are either running behind schedule or have been shelved. These guest houses are expected to accommodate the rush of tourists during the sporting event.

An L3 licence, currently given to all big and small star rated hotels, which allows them to serve all kinds of liquor will now be offered to these unrated guest houses. The licence is valid for a year and can be renewed. It costs costs anywhere between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakhs depending on how many rooms an establishment has.

Walia said that the guest houses will serve liquor only to residents, that too strictly inside their rooms. They won't be allowed to serve it anywhere else, not even in the lobby, he added.