Andhra woman files 150 liquor licence applications even as overall response dips in Telangana

A woman from Andhra Pradesh has made headlines by submitting 150 applications for liquor shop licences, paying Rs 4.5 crore in fees, even as overall applications declined this term. The government is also implementing community-based reservations for the allotment of 2,620 liquor shops across the state.

Hyderabad: Undeterred by the steep hike in application fee, a woman from Andhra Pradesh reportedly filed 150 applications for liquor shop licences, paying Rs 4.50 crore towards the fee. Her move stood out even as the Prohibition and Excise Department’s expectations took a hit with a lower number of applications filed this term compared to the last.

The applications were invited for retail liquor (A4) shops for the licence period from December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2027. In the previous term, nearly 1.30 lakh applications were filed. As Saturday was the last day for filing, serpentine queues were witnessed at various excise offices across the State.

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Till Friday, around 50,000 applications had been received, and officials estimated that another 20,000 to 40,000 could have been filed on Saturday.

The total number of applications would be known later in the night, as many applicants were still standing in queues, officials said.

The department is perplexed over the lower number of applications being filed this term despite repeated appeals to prospective applicants through SMS and other outreach channels.

At the Excise Department’s training institute in Bandlaguda, officials used a public address system to instill confidence among applicants, assuring them that the government was planning several measures to ensure benefits for liquor shop operators.

The application fee has been increased from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. Officials claimed that despite the fall in the number of applications, the targeted revenue could still be achieved because of the increased fee.

The State government hopes to generate nearly Rs 6,500 crore through licence and application fees. In 2023, it had collected Rs 1,350 crore from application fees and Rs 3,500 crore from licence fees.

The draw of lots will be conducted for allotment of licences for 2,620 shops across the State. As per the schedule released by the department, payment of the first instalment of the RSET is on October 23 and 24. The shops will open on December 1, 2025.

The government is implementing reservations for different communities, including Gouds (15 per cent), Scheduled Castes (10 per cent) and Scheduled Tribes (5 per cent).