Excise Department tightens grip while scaling up supply as liquor demand surges ahead of year-end festivities

As the festive season reaches its peak, the Telangana Excise and Prohibition Department has adopted a twin approach of tightened enforcement and robust supply management to deal with rising demand for liquor, while ensuring that illegal trade does not gain ground.

Officials said that the year-end period sees a surge in alcohol consumption and private gatherings, along with increased attempts to smuggle illicit liquor and drugs into the State.

Speaking to The Hindu, Shahnawaz Qasim, Director (Enforcement), said that the department’s primary focus would be on curbing the inflow of non-duty paid liquor (NDPL), particularly from Delhi, Haryana and Goa, which poses a serious threat to State revenue, as well as synthetic drugs whose demand typically rises at this time of the year.

As part of the enforcement drive, around 20 inter-State border checkposts will be activated from the weekend until December 31. These will operate in addition to regular transport checkposts, with excise teams carrying out random and surprise inspections of vehicles suspected of transporting NDPL or drugs.

Four mobile border patrol units have also been deployed in vulnerable corridors to monitor routes known for illicit movement. While Medak, Mahabubnagar, Rangareddy and the areas surrounding Hyderabad are considered key routes for NDPL inflow, Khammam, Kothagudem, Mulugu and Adilabad are in focus for ganja trafficking from Odisha.

Railway check

With contraband now increasingly being moved by train, the department has strengthened coordination with the Government Railway Police. All trains arriving from Delhi, Haryana and Goa are particularly being monitored. Checks have also been intensified on highways, Outer Ring Road and airport exit points, which are commonly used routes for NDPL movement.

State Task Force (STF) units have been tasked with maintaining heightened vigilance in Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Rangareddy, including farmhouses and pubs, where large-scale parties, many without the necessary permissions, are expected and drug use is a concern.

Sales pick up

Alongside enforcement, the department has also stepped up arrangements to meet the seasonal rise in liquor demand. Telangana has 19 liquor depots that supply stock to retailers based on orders placed by licensed shops. On an average day, liquor worth ₹100–120 crore is supplied from depots to shops, officials said.

However, during the last 7-10 days of December, daily sales typically rise from the usual ₹100-120 crore to nearly ₹150 crore, translating into an additional ₹200–300 crore in sales during the final stretch of the month. To prevent shortages, officials said stock levels are being closely monitored and maintained.

The State has 2,620 liquor shops, including around 600 in Hyderabad, and 1,171 bars, offering as many as 1,035 varieties of liquor. Sources in the department said that liquor sales had already risen by about 20% by December 20, fuelled in part by recent Gram Panchayat elections. Warangal, Nalgonda, Nizamabad and Mahabubnagar emerged as the top districts in terms of sales during this period.

While Telangana typically records around ₹3,000 crore in liquor sales each month, sources said this threshold had already been crossed well before the end of December. With Christmas and New Year celebrations still ahead, the department expects total liquor sales this month to touch ₹5,000 crore.