Vijayawada: Consumption of liquor has become an essential part of festival celebration and this trend is on the rise with each passing year. The sale of liquor has crossed Rs 100 crore mark this Pongal.
Every festival is generating added revenue to the liquor companies. This apart, people are finding some or the other reason to celebrate and consuming liquor.
Pongal festival competed with the New Year in sale of liquor. With cockfights being organised without any restraint, facilities for the participants and onlookers were made in a big manner. The organisers supplied unlimited liquor and food.
Politicians, who were behind many cockfight camps, did not worry about the expenditure as they felt that it was investment for the upcoming elections. Huge stock of liquor bottles and food was dumped at the camps and people were appointed for distribution of the same systematically.
The Pongal festival began on Sunday and continued for the next three days. The sale of liquor during these days earned Rs 100 crore to the excise department. Even on the holiday, the excise department continued supply following request from the dealers.
This year, Krishna district competed with the Godavari districts in organising cockfight camps and even in liquor sale. During the festival, Krishna district recorded sale of liquor worth Rs 12 cr and Guntur Rs 10 crore.
In Andhra Pradesh, particularly in the coastal districts, it has become a tradition that sale of liquor increases whenever there is any festival. Earlier, it was limited to New Year eve alone. During the traditional festivals, liquor was not allowed.
Now, the traditional festivals have become an occasion for the public to guzzle liquor, earning revenue both for the excise department and the liquor traders.
