Bacchus dances as Telangana gets ‘high’ by Rs.900 cr fee from wine shop applications; rakes in Rs.2,629 cr

HYDERABAD: The excise department has raked up a staggering revenue of over Rs 2,629 crore from 1,31,490 liquor license applications it has received by the end of Saturday the last day for applying for liquor shop licenses under the 2023-25 liquor policy for a period of two years. This is Rs 900 crore more than what it earned through the sale of applications during the 2021-23 auction.

With the excise department fixing a non-refundable application fee of Rs two lakh per application, the Government made a big moolah when compared to last year where the number of applications received was only 69,000.

The Telangana Government called for applications for allotment of retail liquor (A4) shops in the State for the license period 2023-25. The policy would come into force from December 1 this year and would be valid till November 30, 2025.

The Excise officials were surprised over the steep increase in the number of applications during the last two days. In all 87,000 applications poured in during the last 48 hours of time.

Heavy demand was observed from Shamshabad, Saroornagar, Medchal and Malkajgiri excise districts. It was also reported that many political bigwigs have jumped into the arena hoping for big fortune during the ensuing elections.

The draw of lots for the selection of licensees would be held on August 21, 2023. More than one lakh applicants would be vying for 2,620 shops, for the period 2023-25. The number of shops was determined based on the population of each district.