Liquor tenders dip in Karimnagar even after deadline extension

Applications for liquor shops in the erstwhile Karimnagar district dropped to 7,565 from 10,709 last year despite an extended deadline. Officials cited increased tender fees and the absence of major elections as reasons for reduced participation by traders.

Karimnagar: The efforts of excise officials to attract more applications for liquor shops appear to have failed, as only 7,565 applications were received for setting up liquor outlets in the erstwhile Karimnagar district. Last year, the undivided district had received 10,709 applications. However, there is no change in revenue since the application fee was enhanced.

Though the last date was extended up to Thursday, there was no major increase in the number of applications from the old Karimnagar district. Initially, 7,079 applications were received for 287 wine shops, which increased to 7,565 after the extension. A total of 486 additional applications were received in five days. Though the number of applications has declined, the government earned Rs 226.95 crore towards application fees, compared to Rs 214.18 crore last time.

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There were Assembly elections in December 2023 and Lok Sabha polls in May 2024. Anticipating higher liquor sales during the election period, more people filed applications then. Besides traditional liquor traders, individuals from other sectors such as granite and real estate also competed for wine shops. As a result, the highest number of applications was received during 2023–2025.

However, except for the local body elections, no major poll is scheduled in the next two years. The enhancement of the tender fee is also among the reasons for the fall in applications. Earlier, the application fee for each shop was Rs 2 lakh, which was increased to Rs 3 lakh this time. Though this is not a big amount for liquor traders, others stayed away from the tenders.

In Karimnagar, a total of 2,730 applications were filed for 94 shops, compared to 4,040 in 2023. While 1,966 (2,616 last time) tenders were filed for 71 shops in Jagtial, 1,488 (2,020) were received for 74 shops in Peddapalli, and 1,381 (2,033) applications were filed for 48 shops in Rajanna-Sircilla.