Andhra Pradesh Allows Bars at Airports, Except Tirupati

 Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has issued guidelines for granting excise licences to set up bars and liquor shops at airports across the state, excluding Tirupati Airport.

Revenue (Excise-II) principal secretary Mukesh Kumar Meena issued G.O. Ms. No. 386 on Saturday outlining the new policy.

Under the guidelines, airport operators may recommend applicants for bar and liquor shop licences within airport premises. Applicants seeking a bar licence must submit an application in Form-1B along with a non-refundable fee of Rs 5 lakh to the concerned excise deputy commissioner. Following due enquiry, the privilege of operating a bar may be granted, after which the district excise officer will issue the licence in Form-2B.

For liquor shops, applicants recommended by the airport operator must apply in Form A-3(B), along with a non-refundable application fee of Rs 2 lakh. The district excise officer will issue the licence after due enquiry.

The licence will remain valid for the duration of the agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the airport operator and the licensee, in accordance with the relevant rules.

Bars and liquor shops will be permitted to operate round the clock, subject to airport operational protocols, security regulations and law and order requirements.

The annual retail excise tax (RET) for bars has been fixed at Rs 25 lakh for airports handling 20 lakh or more passengers annually and Rs 15 lakh for airports with lower passenger traffic. The annual RET for liquor shops has been fixed at Rs 1 crore.

The government said the policy would be reviewed after three years based on passenger footfall at airports.