The e-auction of bar licences in Tirupati city received a huge response in the online bidding process taken up by the Department of Prohibition and Excise. Smaller towns in Tirupati district also received bids for all the proposed outlets.
While in the Tirupati Municipal Corporation 31 applications were received for the 16 proposed bars, the highest bid amount received for an outlet was Rs.1.59 crore. Similarly, the emerging temple town of Srikalahasti also received five applications for three bars, of which the highest bid amount was Rs.41 lakh, while Rs.37 lakh was the larger figure out of the two bids received for one outlet in Puttur town. Under the ‘tourism resort’ category, the little town of Thondavada received only one bid for Rs.39 lakh.
The response was quite encouraging even in constituencies that were newly appended to Tirupati from the adjoining Nellore district.
Gudur town received three applications for the three outlets, the highest one being for Rs.37 lakh, while Venkatagiri town received Rs.39 lakh as the highest bid among the three applications received for the single outlet.
Surprisingly, the two towns abutting the Chennai-Kolkata national highway received a huge response. Naidupeta and Sullurpet towns received five and six applications respectively for the lone outlet in each town. The Naidupeta bar received Rs.1.35 crore as the bid amount, while the same for Sullurpet is Rs.87 lakh.
Most of the applications received by the department were from familiar names that are traditionally known in the local hospitality sector especially in the bar and restaurant business.
