All bars in Telangana to continue for 3 months
TS government decided to defer its new excise policy by three months
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-06-25 06:20 GMT
Hyderabad: All existing bars and liquor shops in Telangana will continue for the next three months with the TS government deciding to defer its new excise policy by three months.
The deadline of the previous excise policy will end on June 30 and the new policy has to come into force from July 1. However, the TS government is still undecided on the new policy regarding the number of bars and liquor shops to be permitted in Hyderabad and other districts, licence fee to set up bars and liquor shops, banning of gudamba (illicitly distilled liquor and introducing saara (cheap liquor) in its place.
The TS government is planning to bring a separate excise policy for Hyderabad to make available all foreign liquor brands in the city and to allow bars and hotels to operate late into the night.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao who reviewed the new excise policy with officials last week directed them to study all proposals in depth and suggest to the government on their implementation.
With just a week for the July 1 deadline, the officials expressed their inability to cover all these issues and take a view on their implementation and sought three months.
The TS government is learnt to have obliged their request and extended the deadline till September 30. Formal orders to this effect are expected in a day or two.
Mr Rao asked officials to lay special focus on Hyderabad since the government is devising lot of plans to develop it as a 'global city' and the new liquor policy should meet the demands of a global city.