Hyderabad: Expressing serious concern over the way liquor sales were increasing thanks to the state government’s excise policy, Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, wrote to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday to take steps to stop the government from increasing its revenue through liquor sales immediately.
He stated that liquor was freely available and hours of sales had been extended till midnight; the government was even allowing handy tetrapacks and assuring availability of liquor at malls. This would have a disastrous impact on society.
He pointed out to recent incidents of drunk drivers killing innocent kids, thousands of students spending time in bars by bunking classes and as much as Rs 30,000 crore being spent on liquor every year.
The Union minister asked the state government to stop the liquor menace by eschewing the policy of making more revenues out of increasing sale of liquor. He also appealed to the Chief Minister to take strong measures to end the liquor menace in the state.
