AP Plans Beach Shacks to Sell Beer, Low Alcohol Liquor
The cabinet on Thursday gave the approval for a draft excise policy that envisaged the setting up of beach shacks.
Vijayawada:The Andhra Pradesh government would promote the setting up of beach shacks to sell beer and ready-to-drink liquor as part of its efforts to promote tourism in a big way.
The cabinet on Thursday gave the approval for a draft excise policy that envisaged the setting up of beach shacks.
Beach shacks are temporary structures set up along the coastline and they may not be allowed to sell liquor similar to regular liquor retail outlets.
In the first phase, two beach shacks each at Suryalanka beach in Chirala and in Visakhapatnam would be set up as a pilot project. Based on patronage from tourists, such facilities will be expanded to other coastal areas.
The state government had constituted a 5- member group of ministers including excise minister Kollu Ravindra in this connection. The team toured beaches in Goa, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh etc to study the functioning of beach shacks there.
District collectors from a few coastal districts also toured such spots to get first-hand information on the functioning of beach shacks.
Sources say that private agencies will be identified by the AP Tourism Authority to set up beach shacks along the suitable beaches, probably under the PPP mode to sell low alcohol liquor mainly to tourists. The cabinet favoured the Goa model.
The government’s proposal to set up beach shacks is aimed only to promote tourism along the coastline. It would announce the modalities like a licence fee etc for beach shacks that sell beer and liquor.
