Karnataka clocks Rs 410 crore liquor sales in 2 days

Bengaluru: In the two days leading up to the lockdown that began at 8pm Tuesday, Karnataka generated Rs 410 crore from liquor sales, reports Anil Gejji . Retailers sold 4.9 lakh litres of Indian-made liquor worth Rs 215 crore and 83,000 litres of beer worth Rs 15 crore. Till 5pm, 3.8 lakh litres of IML and 68,600 litres of beer worth Rs 179 crore were sold. "This is 40% more than an average day's sale," said excise additional chief SL Rajendra Prasad.
Brisk liquor sales before lockdown
The sale value could go up by Rs 25 crore since liquor shops were open till 8pm on Tuesday, another official said. The sale was brisk in districts of Bengaluru Urban and Rural, Dharwad and Dakshina Kannada, which will be locked down for 7-10 days. “Since liquor shops will be closed for a week, most customers purchased full bottles (each bottle contains 750ml), contributing to the sale,” said a shop owner in Sanjayanagar, Bengaluru.
Fears of a lockdown extension beyond July 22 also made people stock up. When the first round of lockdown was declared in March with a fourhour notice, there was a scramble. Hence, they are buying more anticipating an extended shutdown, he added.