The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Government, on the 3rd of October, issued a notification and announced a new liquor policy in Telangana.
The move of the TRS Government comes days after the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) Government introduced a new liquor policy in Andhra Pradesh.
The new liquor policy of AP was implemented in the State on the 1st of October. Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy announced the new policy to make Andhra Pradesh an alcohol free State.
Similar to the YSRCP policy, the TRS also announced the liquor policy, following which, the State will provide licenses based on the population of the districts.
The shop owners will pay an amount of Rs. 50 lakhs for getting a license in areas where the population is below 5,000, Rs. 55 lakhs where the population is between 5,000 and 50,000, Rs. 60 lakhs where the population is between 50,000 and 1 lakh and Rs. 65 lakhs where the population ranges between 1 lakh and 5 lakhs.
The amount will be increased depending upon the population of the area and the ceiling will be set at Rs. 1.10 crores for up to 20 lakh population.
Apart from this, the Telangana Government also fixed an amount of Rs. 2 lakhs as a non refundable fee for the application.
K. Chandrashekar Rao, the Chief Minister of Telangana, said the State Government will approve the shops which can sell alcohol in the State.
The selection of the shops will be done through a lottery system and the shops within the limits of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will work from 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. However, in other areas, the shops will be closed by 10:00 P.M.
The new liquor policy will come into effect from the 1st of November 2019 and will be valid till the 31st of October 2021.
Stay tuned for further updates.