Tirupati Polls: Closure Of City Wine Shops Drives Customers To Rural Outlets
Liquor outlets in rural areas around Tirupati report a 23% rise in sales as city customers travel outside municipal limits during the election dry period.
The closure of wine shops and bars within the Tirupati Municipal Corporation limits for the municipal elections has boosted liquor sales in neighbouring rural areas, with outlets outside the restricted limits reporting a considerable increase in business.
The Election Commission ordered the closure of liquor outlets from 5 pm on October 30 until 5 pm on November 1 as part of the 48-hour dry period ahead of polling. The restrictions prompted regular customers in Tirupati city to turn to outlets operating in neighbouring areas to purchase liquor.
The temporary ban affected customers who usually visit outlets and bars in areas such as Korlagunta, K.T. Road, Korramenugunta, Leela Mahal and Tiruchanur. Several customers reportedly travelled to outlets in peripheral areas, including Chandragiri and Renigunta, to purchase liquor during the closure period.
V. Thulasi Ram, a liquor outlet owner in Tirupati rural said the closure of urban outlets had brought a noticeable rise in customer footfall, with business increasing by nearly 30 per cent. "Customers have been coming in one after another throughout the day. The outlet has remained busy, with hardly any gap between customers," he said.
According to reports, liquor outlets and bars operating in the rural limits surrounding Tirupati also recorded an average increase of 23 per cent in sales compared with normal days, as customers from the city shifted to establishments outside the municipal limits. The dry period will also be enforced on November 3, the day of counting, until the completion of the election process.
