HYDERABAD: Fear of the
Omicron virus did not deter
New Year
revellers from guzzling down barrels of beer and whiskies with the excise department earning a record income of Rs 925 crore in the last five days of 2021.
The annual sale was particularly high in 2021 at Rs 30,222 crore, when compared to Rs 23,000 crore in 2020
Of the five days, December 31 resulted in Rs 172 crore in sales as 1.6 lakh cases of
Indian Made Foreign Liquor
(
IMFL
) and 1.5 lakh cases of beer were sold on the last day. The one-day sales in 2020 was higher at Rs 193 crore on December 31, but the overall target set by excise officials was met in 2021, overjoyed officials said.
The highest sale was on December 27, at Rs 202 crore as people stocked alcohol to celebrate the New Year.
However, many liquor store owners were unhappy with sales, claiming that government revenue was met because the stock was lifted by them, but over-the-counter sales were down.
“Over-the-counter sales were reduced primarily due to Covid-19 concerns, and permission for New Year events was unclear until the last minute, a store owner said.
According to sources, sales in January could be lower because many stocks are still unsold.