HYDERABAD: Thanks to aggressive marketing tactics, the excise department is set to receive a record number of applications for bagging licences of 2,216 shops in Telangana. On the last day of filing of applications on Wednesday, the department received 38,000 applications which is expected to swell to 50,000 by the time the entire process is perused.
According to highly-placed sources, the number of applications filed were 38,000 at 4 pm. “With several traders standing in queue lines after having taken tokens much before 4 pm, number of applications will cross 50,000 by end of the day,” sources said. “This record spree of applications is unprecedented,” the sources said.
The massive spike in the numbers has baffled even the authorities. On October 14, the total number of applications received were 10,000 and the next day (Oct 15), the number touched 20,968. “The numbers are very encouraging considering the fact that the government had increased the non-refundable application fee from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh,” an official said.
What led to the increased numbers was the authorities’ prompt move in sending ‘thank you’ messages to those traders who applied for the licences. The message from the authorities prompted the applicants to apply for more number of shops in the same district from where they had filed. “This practice of sending out messages to applicants was unheard of,” R Chadravadan, former excise commissioner of Telangana, said.
Tenders for the shops would be finalised through a lottery system by district collectors on October 18 and all arrangements have been made.
Curiously, an internal circular was issued by the excise department (a copy of which is available with TOI) on MRP violations on liquor bottles. It warned the liquor shop owners that if liquor was sold less than MRP, they would be punished as per the Excise Act.
“Some of the applicants are threatening other interested parties from applying for shops and discouraging them, thereby causing huge loss of revenue to the state. They are likely to resort to sell liquor at lower rates,” the circular (dated October 15, 2019) said.
According to highly-placed sources, the number of applications filed were 38,000 at 4 pm. “With several traders standing in queue lines after having taken tokens much before 4 pm, number of applications will cross 50,000 by end of the day,” sources said. “This record spree of applications is unprecedented,” the sources said.
The massive spike in the numbers has baffled even the authorities. On October 14, the total number of applications received were 10,000 and the next day (Oct 15), the number touched 20,968. “The numbers are very encouraging considering the fact that the government had increased the non-refundable application fee from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh,” an official said.
What led to the increased numbers was the authorities’ prompt move in sending ‘thank you’ messages to those traders who applied for the licences. The message from the authorities prompted the applicants to apply for more number of shops in the same district from where they had filed. “This practice of sending out messages to applicants was unheard of,” R Chadravadan, former excise commissioner of Telangana, said.
Tenders for the shops would be finalised through a lottery system by district collectors on October 18 and all arrangements have been made.
Curiously, an internal circular was issued by the excise department (a copy of which is available with TOI) on MRP violations on liquor bottles. It warned the liquor shop owners that if liquor was sold less than MRP, they would be punished as per the Excise Act.
“Some of the applicants are threatening other interested parties from applying for shops and discouraging them, thereby causing huge loss of revenue to the state. They are likely to resort to sell liquor at lower rates,” the circular (dated October 15, 2019) said.
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