Visakhapatnam: It’s turning out to be a high spirited Dasara for Vizag’s liquor shops as not just the winebibbers but also neo boozers have started guzzling liquor from Friday itself. This is going to be a long holiday for the public with Dasara falling on a weekend, then Monday being a holiday on account of Gandhi Jayanti and Tuesday too with the annual Sirimanotsavam in Vizianagaram town. The liquor businessmen are expecting to do brisk business in the next few days.
The sales figures emerging from the liquor industry in Vizag is already a bit staggering. In 2016, booze worth Rs 7 crore had been consumed in the four days of the Dasara festival. This year, the liquor shops are hoping for much more. “We are expecting the liquor sales to touch Rs 9 crore this year as we have continuous holidays from September 28 to October 2 and the Pydithalli Ammavaru in neighbouring Vizianagaram on October 3 would further push the liquor sales in Vizag region,” said an excise officer.
People have already started stocking up for the long holiday. October 2 will be a dry day and that has also been taken into account. Long queues were seen in front of some liquor shops on Friday evening.
“On normal days our daily counter sale is around Rs 2 lakh a day but during the Dasara season we sell around Rs 4 lakh a day. We see a rise of almost 50 per cent during the festive season,” says a liquor businessman Srinivas S.
Few shops in the city have also upped the MRP by Rs 50 or so, taking advantage of the increased demand. Even bars have hiked up their prices. As Dasara is a festival of mamools, a majority of people collect mamools and consume liquor, so coughing up a bit extra for the booze is not minded, the liquor businessman added.
