Glitches mar new online indenting system; wine merchants stage protest, submit memorandum
Mysore/Mysuru: Amidst high demand for beer to beat the summer heat, liquor stores in Mysuru are running out of stocks. Even the Indian Made Liquor (IML) stocks are fast drying up much to the chagrin of wine merchants. They are blaming the new software that has been put in place by the Karnataka State Beverages Corporation Ltd. (KSBCL) for the shortage.
The Mysuru and Chamarajanagar Districts Wine Merchants Association members are staging a protest against the new system in front of the KSBCL depot at Hebbal today where they demanded immediate withdrawal of the new system and retain the old indenting system. The protesters submitted a memorandum to the KSBL depot manager Lokesh.
The KSBL introduced the new software on Apr. 4 (last Monday) where liquor stores and outlets had to purchase stocks online through a web-indenting method. However, the online system is full of technical glitches and store managers and staff were unable to place the indent. As such, till two days retailers somehow managed with existing stocks but now they are facing severe shortage of beer and IML.
As per the new web-indenting system, the indents have to be placed by liquor outlet managers or owners between 9 pm and 9 am for the stocks needed for the next day. Earlier, the merchants could place orders over phone manually and transfer the money to KSBCL depots through RTGS.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, President of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar Districts Wine Merchants Association S. Guruswamy said that while they were ready to welcome the new online system, the software has many glitches and the web-indenting process is cumbersome. The indents are placed at the KSBCL depots in the respective taluks and districts for IML and beer and procure the same.
“The indent has to be made between 9 pm and 9 am and every day 9 pm is the peak hour where there are the highest sales. At 10.30 pm we have to close shutters and it is not possible to place the indents. We could have accepted it if it was a smooth and user-friendly process. But the software is a tedious system and full of glitches,” he added.
There is a severe shortage of beer and IML in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar as only 20 percent of the traders and retailers know how to work with the new system. The rest are suffering huge losses as retailers are not in a position to meet the customer demand, he added.
Guruswamy alleged that the old system was scrapped unilaterally without testing the new software or fixing bugs.
“We had requested the Excise Department to postpone the implementation for at least a month or so till the software is tested and till the merchants familiarise themselves with the new indenting. We also suggested a hybrid model where both systems could be used. But the department implemented hastily and today we are running out of stocks,” General Secretary of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar Districts Wine Merchants Association R. Lakshman, who is also the Managing Director of True Spirits, said.
This post was published on April 6, 2022 6:42 pm