NY parties by politicos boost booze sales

Hyderabad: New Year bashes hosted by the political parties - mainly ruling TRS and opposition Congress -- pushed liquor sales all-time high in Telangana on December 31. Liquor worth nearly Rs 250 crore was sold on a single day on the last day of the 2017 in the state.

The licensed liquor outlets received bulk orders three days in advance from different political party leaders in almost all assembly constituencies. Perhaps, keeping in mind 2019 elections and to allure the party cadres, leaders sponsored dinner with liquor for all their party functionaries, workers and followers on December 31 night.

While, Hyderabad registered a marginal increase, liquor sales in erstwhile Warangal and Karimnagar, Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar, Medak and Rangareddy districts also increased by 50 per cent when compared to last year.

The ministers, ruling and opposition MLAs, Corporation chairpersons, Zilla Parishad and Mandal Parishad presidents, district party unit presidents and party in-charges to assembly constituencies hosted liquor parties at their level in the districts.

Telangana Wine Dealers’ Association leader B Venkateswara Rao told The Hans India that liquor demand for New Year celebrations went beyond all expectations. To fetch bulk orders from the political parties and meet the demand, liquor outlet dealers vied one another to get huge liquor stocks in advance.

Almost all the 2,216 shops in the state were flooded with bulk orders and mostly from the districts. Permitted bar and restaurants also purchased huge liquor stocks in view of increased demand from political fraternity.

“Generally, liquor sales would be high on the last day of every year. This time, huge orders from political parties gave a big boost to the liquor dealers who were struggling hard to survive with the meagre profits. The increase in sales helped the dealers to earn good profits in December,” the association leader said.

State Excise and Prohibition department officials said that the liquor sales jumped by 30 per cent on New Year-eve. This means that the state would reach its target of Rs 1,500 crore faster than expected.