Hyderabad: Granting licences to liquor shops, which is seen as a key source of revenue to the government, has got a mixed response from traders in the new Telangana state.
With June 21, 2014, being the last day for filing applications for grant of licences, traders lined up at the excise offices across the state.
However, the response to the liquor shop licences was immense in some places and almost nil in some regions, according to sources. By Saturday, 5,555 licence applications were received.
Interestingly there was a good number of female applicants this time.
“With Saturday being the last day for filing the licence application, the submission time was extended from evening to midnight,” said an official.
The department charged Rs 25,000 per application and has raked in only Rs 14 crore against the expected Rs 30 crore. Even in united Andhra Pradesh, there were no takers for over 12,000 shops they did not receive a single application, hence the slab for licence amount was reduced from Rs 1.04 crore to Rs 90,000.
The government expects about Rs 970 crore through licence fee and another Rs 200 crore by charging Rs 1 lakh per permit room. With the no takers for many shops, the government plans to give licences to smaller outlets under the Excise Act.
The government is expecting to earn revenue of Rs 10,500 crore through sale of liquor this year as against Rs 931 crore earned last year.
With no takers for 175 liquor shops under GHMC limits last year due to high licence fees of Rs 1.04 crore, the government reduced it by Rs 14 lakh this year bringing down the fees to Rs 90 lakh.
To curb the sale of liquor at higher prices, the government has planned to have a hologram and barcode with the MRP. It announced that it would take stringent action against those selling liquor at higher prices than the retail price.
The license fee in Warangal and Karimnagar has been increased by Rs 4 lakh. Saying that the state will take strict action against belt shops, an official added that the government is yet to decide on allowing toddy shops in GHMC limits which were banned a few years ago.
