Khammam drops to 7th place in Telangana as liquor licence applications decline

Applications for liquor shop licences in the erstwhile Khammam district fell sharply for the 2025-27 period, with only 4,430 applications for 116 shops compared to 7,207 in the previous round

Khammam/Warangal: There has been a drastic fall in the number of applications for retail liquor shops for the licence period 2025-27 in erstwhile Khammam district despite extension of due date to receive the applications.

Khammam which stood at fourth place in the State in terms of number of applications submitted for the period 2023-25 has fallen to seventh place this time. As many as 4,430 applications were submitted by the liquor traders for 116 shops for the current licence period earning an income of Rs 132.90 crore for the department.

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The number of applications submitted for 122 A4 shops in Khammam for the period 2023-25 was 7207 and the excise department earned Rs 144.14 crore through the application fee which was Rs 2 lakh in the previous licence period. Six shops on the AP-Telangana border areas were closed this time.

Even as application fee was increased to Rs 3 lakh, there was a shortfall of Rs 11.24 crore this time due to lesser number of applications under the limits of seven excise police stations. Highest number of 73 applications submitted for KHM027 shop in Khammam-1 station.

In Kothagudem, as many as 3922 applications were submitted for 88 shops under six excise police stations earning an income of Rs 117.66 crore. Each shop received a minimum of 50 applications. Revenue earned by the excise department through the application fee for the previous period was Rs 101.14 crore.

It was said that majority of applications were filed by traders from Andhra Pradesh through the local liquor syndicates operating in the erstwhile Khammam. Increase in application fee and withdrawal restrictions in liquor trade in Andhra Pradesh were said to be the reasons for lesser number of applications.

In erstwhile Warangal, traders submitted 3175 applications in Warangal Urban, which stood at tenth place at the State level in terms of number of applications. Similarly 1958 applications were submitted in Warangal Rural, 1863 in Bhupalpally district, 1697 in Jangaon and 1800 applications were submitted in Mahabubabad district.