1 month ago
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Vijayawada: Liquor worth Rs 217.44 crore was sold during the Sankranti festival in Andhra Pradesh, as against a consumption of the order of Rs 112.41 crore on the eve of New Year in the state.
Excise sources say that on Jan. 13, the day of Bhogi festival, 2.89 lakh cases of Indian Made Liquor and 87,065 cases of beer, with the total sale value of Rs 217.44 crore were lifted by the guzzlers.
Notably, on the day of Sankranti on January 14, very few liquor depots functioned, as many of the staff members were on leave to celebrate the festival.
On December 31, nearly 1.33 lakh cases of IML and 66,971 cases of beer, with a total sale value of Rs 112.41 crore were lifted for consumption on New Year Eve.
On an average, liquor consumption in AP is in the range of Rs 60-80 crore per day; and on holidays including Sunday, it will be around Rs 90 crore. But, at the height of the festival revelry on January 13, the liquor sales rose sharply to Rs 217.44 crore. So was the case on Dec. 31 as the liquor consumption showed a record level at Rs 112.41 crore.
The state government also issued orders to allow functioning of liquor depots even during the festive days and extended the timings of the sale to 12am (midnight) from 10am in liquor outlets and for bars up to 1am on December 31, 2024 and January 1, 2025.
Meanwhile, the authorities from the excise and enforcement wing kept vigil along AP’s borders with other states to curb illegal entry of non-duty paid liquor into this state on two days -- Dec. 31,2024 and Jan. 1, 2025.
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