The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Tab on IDL raises IMFL sales

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007
ePaper

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Tab on IDL raises IMFL sales

Staff Reporter

IMFL worth over Rs. 13,567 cr. sold in 2006-07 registering 58 p.c. growth

Frequent raids conducted on IDL hideouts and ganja fields
Only 50-acre area remained out of the 500 acres of ganja crop

SANGAREDDY: The liquor sale in the prohibition and excise wing in this division covering the national highway , Zaheerabad, Narsapur, Andole and Narayankhed registered a phenomenal increase and takes the top position in the State in terms of growth.

The division that sold more than Rs. 8,000 crore worth Indian made foreign liquor in 2005-2006, grossed Rs. 13,567 crore during 2006-07 recording a growth of almost 58 percent. The present growth rate stood at 6 percent and the department recorded heavy sales during the first 13 days of October due to the ongoing festive season. In just 13 days the liquor shops did a business of Rs. 5.45 crore where as during the entire month of October last year the sales were Rs. 8.86 crore.

Attributing this to the strict control on the sale of illicitly distilled liquor (IDL) Prohibition and Excise superintendent A.Ramulu told The Hindu that frequent raids in the IDL hideouts and ganja fields had wiped out almost 75 per cent of IDL sale in his area of control. Giving details of ganja in the interiors of Narayankhed, and Kangti areas, notorious for the narcotic crop Ramulu said that only 50-acre area remained out of the 500 acres of ganja crop in one year time due to frequent raids. He said that more raids were on the anvil immediately after the festival.

Belt shops

Even though the law permits any person to stock as much as six 750 ml bottles of liquor at any given time (nearly 24 nibble bottles), stocking them for the purpose of sale would be a crime, said Ramulu. He pointed out that policing such a crime is difficult in villages. However he said that no belt shop would be allowed to operate in the Sangareddy excise division. While the belt shop menace persists in almost all parts of the district, the excise department is equally concerned about the sale of IDL liquor in areas like Siddipet, Dubbaka and Mirdoddi where the IDL freely flows from neighbouring Karimnagar district.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail