After coming under sharp criticism for allowing sale of liquor during the complete lockdown and massive queues outside liquor stores with tipplers flouting social distancing norms, the ruling YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday decided to reduce the number of liquor shops.

The government has decided to reduce the number of shops by 13 per cent. Now, there will be around 2,934 as against 3,500 liquor stores. After a gap of 45 days, the Andhra Pradesh had re-opened liquor shops with 75 cent liquor price hike which was expected to fetch the government an additional revenue of anywhere between Rs 10,000 crore-Rs 12,000 crore . Further the government has also restricted the sale of the alcohol. Each individual can buy only three bottles, while liquor stores were allowed to sell alcohol between 11 am to 8 pm.

The government claimed that the move to hike liquor prices was aimed at discouraging liquor consumption.

However, there were protests by women against the government for allowing liquor sale. There was massive over-crowding with queues stretching up to four to six kilometers.

A surge of tipplers raided the shelves at liquor stores and wine shops across the green and orange zones with the government allowing standalone shops to sell liquor. Such was the mad rush for alcohol that the Andhra Pradesh government had to employ teachers to regulate the queues, a move fiercely opposed by Opposition leaders like Chandrababu Naidu. Many of the tipplers were seen without masks, a norm for purchase of alcohol. The liquor sales triggered acts of violence, spate of suicides and alcohol driven mishaps across the state.