Coronavirus lockdown: After Delhi and Karnataka, Telangana opens liquor store in state

Hyderabad, May 06: With liquor shops remaining closed for more than a month in view of COVID-19 lockdown, Telangana on Wednesday re-opened the liquor stores with impatient tipplers forming serpentine queues even before the shutters went up.

The liquor store owners were seen performing special prayers with flowers, coconuts, incense sticks and offered 'Aarti' infront of the stores at several places, before commencing business. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday announced that barring 15 liquor outlets located in various containment zones in the state, the remaining over 2,200 would be open for business from 10 am to 6 pm beginning Wednesday.

However, pubs and bars that serve liquor will remain shut. Police personnel were deployed at most of the outlets to avoid untoward incidents and ensure law and order.

The central and state government began to ease restrictions in the third phase of the nationwide lockdown. Also, the Delhi government announced a 70 per cent hike in the price of liquor across categories in the capital, starting Tuesday.

It can be seen that the manufacture and sale of liquor is one of the major sources of their revenue, and the reopening the sale of liquor comes at a time when the states have been struggling to fill their coffers amid the disruption on account of the lockdown.