Why has Telangana govt prohibited liquor import?

Hyderabad: When you land at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, one can spot notice boards cautioning against bringing excess liquor into the state. For many years now, it has been a free walk from the immigration counters for International travelers, however no longer unless you are lucky.

Over a couple of months, the State's Excise and Prohibition wing has tightened its checks at the airport and borders. In May 2023, The department seized 1032 liters of non-duty paid liquor worth Rs 16 lakhs.

The prohibition wing registered 85 cases and detained 81 people under liquor smuggling. Eyes are on illegal liquor supply from Delhi, Haryana, and Goa, specifically. One notable arrest took place at Quthbullapur station, where 15 individuals were arrested, and two cases were registered. The authorities confiscated 1,600 liters of liquor from Haryana, estimated to be worth Rs 30 lakhs. In Saroornagar and Malkajgiri station limits, 350 liters of military liquor were seized, where 29 were arrested, and 11 cases were registered.

Why is the Telangana government prohibiting the import of liquor?

At the beginning of 2023, the enforcement wing detained a man who was supplying empty liquor bottles from Telangana to Orissa in huge quantities. The empty bottles included top brands, and the supply from Orissa was further traveling to Haryana. When they dug deep into the investigation, it was found that liquor was being prepared in the forest or outskirts and the illicit liquor was poured into these vessels and sold at belt shops in Haryana.

According to Section 9 of the Telangana Excise Act- (it puts in place rules about the import and export of liquor)--- any liquor imported (beyond the permissible quantity) from a different state or country must have the approval of the Excise and Prohibition authority. The duty fee must be paid; the fee varies from state to state.

Speaking to NewsMeter, Excise Commissioner Md Musharraf Ali Faruqui- IAS said, "There are two aspects to this. When samples of liquor were tested in the state-authorized laboratory, they were found to have a higher percentage of dilution. The brand bottles are being used to disguise diluted liquor as the brand. Recently the department booked a person under the PD Act for bringing in excess premium brand liquor from other states which turned out to be unsafe. The state cannot guarantee that the liquor is safe. Above all, Fundamentally as per the Act, it is prohibited to bring alcohol from any other state, unless it is through a permitted channel. About International passengers, there is a cap on the liters. The duty-free liquor is meant for personal consumption and not commercial".

The second aspect has to do with the revenue generated from liquor sales in the state. It is pertinent to note that if more imported liquor is consumed, the state will take a beating in its coffers. In 2022, the state government earned Rs 34,000 crore through liquor sales calculated from January to December 2022. The revenue jumped by 7000 crores when compared to the previous year. Ranga Reddy district tops the charts with the highest number of liquor sales.