3,736 liquor shops to be allotted through lottery

Guntur : The AP Excise Department would release a notification for the allocation of 3,736 liquor shops in the state within the next two or three days.

The government has initiated the process to implement the new excise policy from October 1. Previously, the YSRCP govt managed the liquor shops in the state.

However, the TDP govt has decided to reinstate the old liquor policy from 2014-19 and allocate the liquor shops to private individuals through a lottery system. Additionally, the government plans to allocate 10% of liquor shops to Kallu Geetha Karmikulu through their societies.

The State Cabinet has approved the allocation of liquor shops to private individuals and has sent the ordinance to Governor Abdul Nazeer for his approval, which is expected to take one or two days. Subsequently, a gazette notification will be released to allocate the liquor shops.

The government aims to ensure the sale of quality liquor in these shops from October 1, with an emphasis on offering standard brands. Currently, officials from the excise department are occupied with transferring personnel from the Special Enforcement Bureau to the AP Excise Department, following the abolishment of the SEB.