VIJAYAWADA: Deputy chief minister (excise and commercial taxes) K Narayana Swamy said liquor consumption in the state has come down by 63% in the last two-and-a-half years.
This was because of the initiative taken by the government towards total prohibition.
The minister spoke to the officials at a review meeting and later interacted with the media where he claimed that the state was on the path towards total prohibition. He said the government had reduced the liquor shops from 4,380 during the TDP regime to 2,934. In addition to this, he said the government had removed 43,000 belt shops.
Stating the TDP government during 2018-19 had sold 661 lakh crates of liquor bottles on an average, the minister pointed out that the present government was selling just 224 lakh crates, registering a fall off 63%.
The minister also claimed that the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) was doing well in arresting illegal brewing and smuggling of liquor.
Since May 2020, SEB has filed 14,689 cases of liquor irregularities, arrested 2,00,786 people and seized 51,103 vehicles for illegal transport of liquor. He said 7,12,557 litres of non-duty paid liquor (NDPL), 95,238 liters of duty paid liquor belonging to other states along with 2, 49,162 kg of cannabis were seized, the deputy chief minister said.
The minister asked officials to be firm in enforcing timings of liquor shops and bars. He also cautioned them against illegal brewing and smuggling of liquor from neighbouring states.
