The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Liquor sales soar as poll campaigning hots up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 11, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Liquor sales soar as poll campaigning hots up

By S. Harpal Singh

ADILABAD, APRIL 10. Indications of political parties enticing voters through liquor are evident in the liquor sales figures in Adilabad this elections.

Within the first seven days of April liquor worth approximately Rs. 3.5 crores has already been sold. This is about one third the target for the entire month of April and electioneering is still to pick up momentum. The liquor sale in these seven days was almost double than that for the corresponding period in April 2003.

The high incidence of liquor consumption does not compare well with the poverty rampant in the district. Though no figures about the per capita income in the district are available, the district is considered one of the most backward and poor in the State.

Liquor sales have been on the higher side in Adilabad post prohibition. During the excise year 2002-2003, Adilabad registered the highest sales in the State. In 2002-2003 when Adilabad stood on top in terms of liquor sales in Andhra Pradesh, the sales were 82 crores for the entire year. Sales shot up to 117 crore during the excise year 2003-2004.

The sale of liquor through the Andhra Pradesh Beverages Corporation Limited does not in any away indicate the actual consumption of liquor in Adilabad. Because of the lengthy and porous border with Maharashtra, non-duty paid liquor and country liquor flow in easily. Besides, the sales figures do not take into consideration the consumption of illicitly distilled liquor and toddy, which is unofficially pegged at a few lakh litres per year. In tribal areas liquor brewing is a common phenomenon. There are one lakh tribal families in the district that are permitted to brew and store five litres of liquor at any given time.

Last excise year about 36,000 litres of ID liquor was seized in various raids. In 2002-2003 nearly 32,000 litres was seized. Similarly, last year over 17 lakh litres of jaggery wash (used to prepare `Gudumba', a local brew) was seized. The preceding year seizures of jaggery wash amounted to nearly 14 lakh litres. In addition 23 quintals of chloral hydrate used to add `kick' to the toddy was seized in a single raid at Nirmal.

It is these varieties that could be distributed to entice voters in remote and inaccessible parts of the district. As politicking picked up in February in anticipation of the elections, sale of liquor too picked up in the district. In February this year liquor worth about Rs. 11 crores was sold in the district. This was higher by Rs. 2 lakhs for the month of February. In March this year liquor worth Rs. 10.5 crores was sold whereas the sale for the corresponding period last year was pegged at Rs. 8 crores.

In March, the political scene shifted to Hyderabad with hundreds of ticket aspirants and their supporters from different political parties camping there for the entire month. Their share of liquor consumption was thus added to the liquor sales in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy.

In terms of liquor consumption Mancherial and Adilabad excise division rank first and second in the district. Last excise year Mancherial division which includes excise police stations of Mancherial, Bellampalli, Chennur and Luxettipet consumed liquor worth Rs. 48 crores which was Rs. 5 crores higher than the preceding year. In Adilabad division which includes the Ichoda, Utnoor and Adilabad excise police stations, liquor worth Rs. 28 crores was sold which was higher than that sold the previous year by Rs. 3 crores.

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Andhra Pradesh