R-Day closure fuels liquor sales in AP

Vijayawada: As the state government declared January 26 as a “Dry Day” in observance of Republic Day, liquor sales surged as guzzlers rushed to the liquor shops to purchase additional stocks of liquor for the weekend. It is anticipated that Saturday sales will increase by 50 per cent compared to the usual daily volume of Rs.70-80 crore in Andhra Pradesh.

While regular liquor buyers typically purchase stock to last the week, many daily wage labourers were seen buying additional liquor after finishing their work on Saturday evening, joined by a section of youngsters. This has led to long queues at several liquor shops in various parts of the state, with customers waiting late into the night to ensure they had enough for Sunday. Excise sources noted that, unlike the Sankranti festival when long liquor sessions were common, the single-day closure on Republic Day is expected to result in fewer large gatherings.



The state’s dry day observance applies not only on Republic Day but also on August 15 (Independence Day), October 2 (Gandhi Jayanti) and during elections, when two additional dry days are declared. A senior excise official warned that violators of the dry day regulations would face a fine of Rs.5 lakh, up from the previous penalty of Rs.

2 lakh, for selling liquor on Republic Day..