The Delhi government on Monday lowered the minimum age for drinking in the Capital to 21 years. The current legal age in the city is 25.

Additionally, the government will no longer run liquor stores in the city, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said. “No new liquor stores will be opened in the Capital either,” he added. “There will be equitable distribution, but that will not be done by opening new stores.”

Sisodia said that all alcohol shops should be at least 500 square feet in size, and the sale counters will not face the road. “There will be no queuing on the roads,” the deputy chief minister added.

Alcohol may not be consumed openly in the city, Sisodia said, adding: “The responsibility for this will rest with the owners of liquor store.” He said the shops would have to ensure that “no one is found drinking on the roads by installing security cameras outside their stores”.

No restaurant and/or bar, which serves alcohol, will permit entry to those below the age of 21 into their premises, Sisodia said.

The Aam Aadmi Party leader said the decisions were made to cleanse Delhi’s alcohol trading system and stop the liquor mafia in the Capital from affecting the sales and prices.