The Andhra Pradesh government is all set to take control of wine shops in the entire state from October 1. Evicting private players from the liquor business is the first step of the Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy government towards a phase-wise ban of the sale of alcohol, one of the pre-poll promises of the YSR Congress Party before 2019 general elections.
The Andhra Pradesh government earns an excise revenue of around Rs 6,500 crores every year through more than 4380 outlets. In the last one month, the state government has been operating around 450 wine shops on a pilot basis.
The state government has informed that from October 1, the number of wine shops will be reduced to around 3,000. The AP government plans to reduce the number of wine shops gradually every year before completely phasing it out. The plan of the government is to ensure that liquor is available only in star hotels by the end of the five-year term.
“The state government has to keep the revenue in mind before imposing prohibition. By decreasing the wine shops and liquor supply slowly, the government is buying time to create new revenue streams,” said a senior official of the excise department.
“By closing down illegal belt shops and decreasing the liquor outlets, the government has greatly controlled the liquor business.”
In July, the state government introduced the bill in state Assembly to entrust Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation to run liquor retail outlets. This is the first time that a Telugu state has taken such a decision barring private players from operating liquor outlets.
From October 1, liquor may not be available after 6 pm as the government plans to close shops by evening. Border patrolling parties and checkpoints will ensure that liquor is not smuggled in or out of the state. To manage these outlets, around 15,000 people will be recruited by the government. In the coming months, de-addiction centres will also be set up for alcoholics.
