Tipplers in the city braved the summer heat and heavy evening showers to lay their hands on their bottle of choice. Exactly 45 days after liquor shops were shut on March 21 evening, shutters went up as throngs of men queued up to buy dozens of outlets across the city on Wednesday.
“I came here at 8 a.m. it is nearly two months since I drank. I saved money for this,” said Ram, who owns a welding workshop. He was the first in the queue at Trishanth Wines in the Attapur area. The shops opened at 10 a.m. and had marked out circles to ensure physical distancing between buyers. The shops also put out posters ‘No mask, no liquor’ as announced by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday.
While the police officials ensured physical distancing norms, with an occasional whack of the cane, the queues spilled into residential areas. Smiling passersby stopped to watch and often click photographs with their cellphones of the row of men standing in line. One of the first to lay his hands on the bottles was Yadiah Goud, who sells fodder for animals. “I came at 7.30 a.m. and I bought this for ₹1470,” he said pointing to two bottles he was carrying in a bag. “The shop is fully stocked. There is no need to worry,” he told other tipplers waiting in the queue outside Lucky Wines before driving away.
By afternoon, videos began circulating about the lines outside liquor stores in the State. At some places, people offered puja to photographs of the Chief Minister and raised slogans as well. The physical distancing norms were limited to the open space near the shops where circles or squares were drawn. Beyond the marked spaces, men jostled, pushed and jockeyed to push ahead in the queue.
“We did brisk business through the day. Our people are still calculating today’s sales. It will take some time to reach the correct figure,” said the owner of Lucky Wines at 6 p.m. as police officials ensured that the shops are shut by curfew time.
