Dry run ends, liquor outlets in Karnataka register brisk business

TNN | Updated: May 5, 2020, 13:27 IST

A near six-week long dry spell ended on Monday, and tipplers, it appeared did not want to take any chances. At liquor stores in many of the districts across Karnataka, tipplers were standing outside liquor stores from the early hours of the morning.
The opening of the liquor outlets, along the brisk business that most of them registered, in the green and orange districts is perhaps the most notable sign of life in the state limping back to normalcy.
In Hubballi, police, along with personnel from the excise department had a tough job on their hands managing the surging crowds. Despite repeatedly informing the massive crowd of tipplers to keep a safe distance from one another, an extent of chaos was unavoidable at the retail outlets. Afraid of another dry spell, most customers stocked up on vast quantities of liquor. Many outlets reported that they ran out of stock of bottles of popular brands of whiskey and beer. On average, most customers stocked up on liquor for Rs 4,000 to Rs 15,000 in Hubballi-Dharwad. Deputy commissioner for excise, Dharwad Shivanaguda Nayak said that wearing of masks was made compulsory for all customers, and no alcohol was sold to those who did not wear minimum protective gear
Lathicharge in Kalaburagi
In Gadag, Koppal, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi and Raichur districts, law enforcement officials were compelled to resort to tough measures in order to control the crowd at liquor stores. 0 In Kalaburagi, police resorted to mild lathicharge at a store near Timmapur Circle to establish order among the customers, who threw caution to the winds when the shop opened around 1pm. Meanwhile, a group of women protested against reopening an MSIL outlet near the railway station in Koppal district. However, sale of liquor continues to remain prohibited in Davanagere, where all 44 wards in the district headquarters have been declared ‘containment zone.’
Stock runs out in Belagavi
The return to normalcy in Belagavi district was marked by disorder and lack of concern for safety measures among many residents. Social distancing went for a toss, with many thoroughfares in Belagavi city reporting gridlock. Worse still, many tipplers took to parking their vehicles in a haphazard manner adding to the congestion on roads. As was the case across North Karnataka, liquor outlets in Belagavi opened to long queues, with most stores reporting sale of more than 50% of their stock. Sachin, an owner of a retail outlet, said that stock of various alcohol brands had run out at his store.