Not long ago, liquor outlets at Nadikudi and Gurazala in the Narsaraopet Excise district were being bid for staggering amounts. The outlet at Nadikudi went for a record ₹5.21 crore in 2012, the highest bid at that time, and it was followed by ₹4.90 crore for an outlet in Dachepalli.
The two outlets on the AP-Telangana border used to fetch a huge revenue due to their advantageous location and the vast network of belt shops around the two villages.
But this summer of 2020 is proving to be a different one altogether. Not only has the sale dipped, but the MLA of Gurazala, Kasu Mahesh Reddy, is leading a vocal revolution against illegal smuggling of liquor and gutkha.
“We have decided to use the vast network of village volunteers, ward/village secretarial staff and mahila police to sensitise people about the dangers of smuggling liquor and gutkha. We will make door-to-door publicity and build a network of informants to pass on information about any illegal activity,” said Mr. Mahesh Reddy.
Drastic change
During a review meeting held at Piduguralla, Mr. Mahesh Reddy said that for many years the two mandals had been notorious for smuggling of liquor. Being the two most backward mandals in the district, they have also earned the notorious reputation of having the highest consumption of liquor.
With many factories located in the two areas, there is a large workforce which makes running of liquor outlets a profitable proposition.
Now, after the State government has announced the new liquor policy, there is a drastic reduction in consumption of liquor.
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