Mutton at Rs 1,200 per Kg, Liquor Costly as Dasara, Gandhi Jayanti Coincide

 Warangal: The coincidence of the Dasara festival with Gandhi Jayanti this year has caused major headaches and high costs for non-vegetarian food and liquor lovers. With officials enforcing a dry day that requires all meat and liquor shops to remain closed, demand has surged, triggering steep price hikes and a heavy rush for advance purchases across the erstwhile Warangal and Karimnagar districts.

Many people who cannot imagine celebrating Dasara without non-vegetarian food have been buying meat and liquor in advance. Some shopkeepers even kept their outlets open until 4 am to meet the rush.

The festive demand, combined with the forced closure of slaughterhouses, has nearly doubled prices. Sheep traders raised the price of mutton from Rs 800 to as much as Rs 1,200 per kg in some areas. A 10-kg sheep that normally sells for around Rs 6,000 is now costing up to Rs 10,000-12,000.

Some families have decided to celebrate a day before or after the festival, while others are purchasing live sheep and goats to slaughter at home.

Despite the dry day, liquor shops are anticipating record demand. In the past week alone, liquor worth Rs 9 crore and beer worth Rs 14 crore were moved from depots to the 94 shops in Karimnagar district, with expected total sales of around Rs 35 crore during Dasara.

Prices of banthi poolu (marigold) have also soared to over Rs 200 per kg in several areas of both districts, owing to high demand for Ayudha Puja, Vahana Puja, and Vijaya Dashami, coupled with reduced supply after recent rains.

Many people alleged that the overlapping holidays created confusion and frustration, arguing that the one-day clampdown made basic festive purchases too costly and difficult.

Meanwhile, the municipal department has issued a circular to all mutton and chicken vendors stressing that the dry day rule is mandatory. Shops violating the closure order will face strict action, including heavy fines and cancellation of trade licences.