Draw of lots for 19 liquor shops suspended; triggers concern among applicants

The suspension of the liquor license draw for select shops in Telangana has triggered concerns among applicants. The Prohibition and Excise Department's last-minute decision has raised questions about transparency and fairness in the process

Hyderabad: The last-minute decision by the Prohibition and Excise Department to suspend the draw of lots for 19 liquor shops across the State has raised concerns among applicants.

According to the notification, the draw for 2,620 liquor shops is scheduled for Monday from 11 am. However, late Sunday evening, several applicants received text messages informing them that draws for certain shops had been suspended.

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In one such message, the Prohibition and Excise Superintendent, Shamshabad, stated: “The draw of lots will not be conducted on October 27 for SSB 107, SSB 110, and SSB 111. Applicants who filed for these shops need not attend. The next date will be communicated later.”

Department sources said around 30 applications were received for each of these shops. Senior officials, however, were reportedly expecting more applications to boost revenue, which may be a reason behind the suspension. Efforts to contact the Excise Superintendent for clarification went unanswered.

Officials noted that the department cannot unilaterally suspend a draw of lots, which generally requires approval from the District Collector under specific circumstances.

The department had earlier increased the application fee from Rs.2 lakh to Rs.3 lakh per shop. A total of 95,137 applications were filed for 2,620 shops—significantly lower than the 1.32 lakh applications in the previous term. This came despite the government extending the last date for filing applications from October 18 to October 23 after appeals from district officials. The extension has already been challenged in court by some applicants.

Adding to applicant unease, the department has directed attendees not to carry mobile phones to draw venues on Monday, raising concerns over transparency. Applicants often rely on family members or associates to monitor results across multiple locations, making this directive particularly challenging.