Hyderabad: Liquor joints selling alcohol to minors

Hyderabad: Many pubs and bars in the city still flout rules by selling alcohol to underage customers, running establishments beyond permissible hours and by replacing expensive liquor brands with cheap ones while serving to customers.

In just one night, the excise department booked around 52 cases against the managements of pubs and bars in the city. Officials said that 30 establishments, including several posh pubs in the city, were found violating rules. The sleuths also found that many pubs do not follow safety standards and have poor hygiene standards.

Forty teams raided pubs including in star hotels across the city on Saturday night. The excise department mainly focused on bars and pubs in Banjara Hills, Madhapur, Gachibowli, Jubilee Hills, Secunderabad etc.

Officials said that most of the bars were imposed a fine of Rs 8,000 to Rs 2 lakh depending on the gravity of the offence.“We are still framing charges against some of the bars and to shut them down for violations,” said a senior official of the excise department.

Excise officials said 10 pubs were found allowing individuals under 21 into their premises. “Four of them did not have a board saying ‘Alcohol will not be sold to people under 21 years’.  Others allowed youngsters without checking ID cards. As per rules, the management should have a specified mechanism to ensure that each and every customer is above 21 years old,” said the official.

“We also found that bartenders collude with managements and swap liquor brands while serving it to customers to increase profits.  They replace expensive liquor brands with cheap ones. We collected samples and have sent them for examination,” he added.

Another violation was the display of liquor advertisements and offers inside the establishments.Officials said that it is not permissible to advertise liquor brands on the premises of bars and pubs.

Officials also found that some of the establishments were functioning without licence. Two establishments were booked for functioning beyond midnight without permission. from the authorities.

Director of Enforcement Akun Sabarwal said the excise department had been educating all bar and pub managements about safety standards, rules and the need for maintaining hygiene on their premises.