New Year eve revelry begins, tipplers set to fill govt coffers

Hyderabad: With the year-end celebrations already started in Hyderabad, liquor sales are expected to be the highest in December in 2024. Aiming to generate more revenues, wine shop dealers have already been asked to lift huge stocks in advance to meet the demand for liquor during the New Year revelry.

The State Excise and Prohibition Department was making all arrangements for the supply of all liquor brands to the licensed liquor shops. During peak summer in May this year, State earned the highest revenue of Rs 2,821 crore this year through liquor sales, and in October, which happened to be the Dasara and Diwali festivals, it was Rs 2,756 crore revenue.

Now, the State Excise wing was planning to record the highest sale of liquor in the last month of this year. One of the main revenue-generating departments, the Excise Wing, has already succeeded in the sale of liquor with good revenues during the Christmas season, and now the last week of this month will witness more liquor sales as the year-ending celebrations have already begun in Hyderabad. Corporate companies and youth have started celebrating year-end by hosting liquor parties in the star hotels and big restaurants in hi-tech city, and the last three days of the year will see more such parties in all urban areas, mainly the Municipal Corporation in the State.

Excise officials said that the last two days of this year are important for the Excise Department, as liquor consumption would be high and meeting the liquor demand was a challenging task. Wine dealers have already been asked to send the details of the liquor brands that are more in demand for consumption in their respective areas. State Beverages Corporation Limited was preparing the list of high-demand liquor brands to supply instantly to the wine shops from the local depots in the last two days.

“In view of the financial challenges facing the State in recent months, the government relied on liquor sales during the New Year celebrations to generate more revenues,” officials said.