New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS): The sale of liquor in Delhi in the pre-Diwali period witnessed a growth of more than 37 per cent on the average number of bottles sold during the fortnight before the festival compared to the same period last year, according to sales figures.

According to the Excise Department figures, over 2.26 crore bottles of liquor were sold two weeks before Diwali last year, while this year, in the last 15 days, 2.58 crore bottles were sold.

According to it, on November 6, 14.25 lakh bottles were sold, and this rose to 17.27 lakh bottles on November 7 and 17.33 lakh on November 8, respectively.

On the three days before Diwali last year, 13.46 lakh, 15 lakh, and 19.39 lakh bottles were sold, respectively, it said.

The average number of bottles sold over a period of two weeks before Diwali last year was 12.56 lakh and this year so far, the figure is at 17.21 lakh, which means a jump of more than 37 per cent.

The sales figures for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are yet to be calculated.