JOIN USThe district witnessed unprecedented liquor sales on Monday. Compared to normal days, the sales were 300 times higher on Monday.
The liquor sales were permitted from Monday after a gap of 43 days. The CL-2 and CL-11 C (MSIL units) outlets resumed the sales.
Of 240 liquor outlets in the district, 103 of them fall under of CL-2 category and 21 under CL-11 C category.
On normal days, the CL-2 and CL-11 C outlets would sell about 22,680 litres of the Indian Made Liquor (IML). About 22,680 litres of the IML were exhausted in just 10 hours.
As against the average daily sales of about 10,301 litres of beer, about 32,065 litres were sold.
A large number of people from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bengaluru Rural and Chikkaballapur districts purchased liquor in the district.
The two godowns of Karnataka State Beverages Corporation Limited (KSBCL) godowns supply the liquor to the entire district. The supply was halted after the lockdown. The liquor sold on Monday was stocked before the lockdown.
Many outlets were shut down before the deadline as the liquor in the stock was exhausted. People waited in long queues to buy the liquor.
All brands of liquor cost more as the government hiked the excise duty from April 1 by 6%.
The production of liquor is likely to be hit as the production units were shut down during the lockdown. The KSBCL’s stocks can meet requirement only till May 6. Due to increase in demand and suspension of liquor production, the department has fixed limit on procurement. Each outlet can buy liquor upto Rs 5 lakh.
“The supply is less while there is more demand in the district. Supply can meet the demand only for a day. Hence, the department has fixed the limit on procurement,” K K Sumithra, deputy commissioner, Excise Department said.