Hyderabad: The excise department received 95,436 applications for liquor shop licenses in Telangana, and recorded a drop of 37,000 when compared to last year. The extended deadline ended on Thursday, October 23.
In 2024, 1.32 lakh license applications were received.
According to the department, a revenue of Rs 218 crore was generated through applications. Officials attribute the dip to the application fee of Rs 3 lakhs.
The Telangana High Court is set to hear a plea filed against the extended deadline set by the excise department on Friday.
Petition against deadline
A petition against the application deadline by the excise department was filed in the High Court on October 21.
The original schedule stated the last submission date was October 18. However, the department extended it by five days after receiving requests from a few officials. Applicants allege that the extension was sudden and unfair to those who submitted their forms on time.
According to them, a considerable amount of time, effort and money has been spent to file applications before the original deadline. They also allege that the department’s focus seems to be on revenue generation rather than transparency.
The Excise Department has stated that the extension was given following requests from district officials in Rangareddy, Warangal, Nizamabad, Mahabubnagar and Medak, who cited disruptions in public transport and banking services due to the Telangana BC bandh on October 18.
