Andhra Pradesh men crossing border for booze in Telangana

Hyderabad: When Andhra Pradesh opened liquor shops, Telangana people in the border areas of Khammam and Kodad had gone to the neighbouring State but now there seems to be a reverse trend.

Since the Andhra Pradesh government had not opened liquor shops in the red zones, hiked the price of liquor by 75 per cent and as the popular brands are not available in the liquor shops there, people from Guntur district have found a new way to quench their thirst.

They ride down to Vadapalli on the banks of the Krishna river by two-wheelers, cross the river by foot since there is hardly ankle-deep water to buy liquor from illegal suppliers. The Excise police swung into action and arrested 11 persons and seized two bikes and liquor bottles. Excise Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh Rajat Bhargava said that to check such illegal sales from across the border areas of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Odisha they were contemplating taking up joint operation along with the Excise officials of those States.