The Telangana government mopped up more than Rs 40 crore on day one of liquor sales across the state on Wednesday after relaxations were announced on Tuesday.

Telangana decided to open liquor shops from Wednesday across all zones – red, orange and green, while increasing the prices by 16%. Following relaxations in lockdown norms, long queues of tipplers were seen outside standalone liquor shops on Wednesday in various parts of Telangana. The state has 2,300 liquor outlets, of these around 185 liquor shops are in Hyderabad. In some zones, the police had tough time in regulating the queues at the liquor stores. Interestingly, in some places, the police gave a break to their motor bikes and Innova vehicles and were seen mounted on horses saddled with the responsibility of keeping the state safe amid a global health crisis as tipplers jostled for space.

According to some estimates, the state government could have lost Rs 1,800-2,000 crore ever since the lockdown was announced. The liquor shops had remained shut for 45 days since March 22 and remained closed during the subsequent lockdowns. However, with the current relaxations allowing sale of alcohol, some peg the revenue from liquor sales anywhere between Rs 800 crore-1,000 crore.