AP plans to introduce cheap liquor

 

As many as six districts in AP including East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Kurnool are having a common border with three districts including Khammam, Nalgonda and Mahbunagar of TS. As Telangana government is planning to introduce cheap liquor at a cost of Rs 30, the tipplers feel like having such liquor as AP liquor is relatively costly at present. With more demand for cheap liquor from AP, it will be smuggled through common border into it from TS. This will cause slump in liquor sale and  dent the revenue from liquor business to the state exchequer in AP.

 

In order to avoid such situation, the AP government is contemplating to introduce cheap liquor on its own so that there will not be any smuggling of such liquor from TS to AP. Accordingly, the AP government is likely to launch cheap liquor of 180 ml at Rs 30 and 90 ml at Rs 15. Depending upon the consumption style of the tipplers, they will purchase cheap liquor and consume within AP instead of depending upon smuggled cheap liquor from TS.

 

On the other hand, the AP government seems to be buying time to anno-unce a new liquor policy which is supposed to come into effect from July 1 onwards on the pretext of carrying out a study on prevailing liquor policies in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala where government is having a major stake in liquor sale. If the government's intention is clear that it will take up retail liquor sale on its own, by this time, it should have announced it and directed the excise officials to find out places for setting up liquor retail outlets and recruit staff for selling the liquor across the counters.