Agra, April 1: Hordes of people in the region made a beeline for liquor outlets on Tuesday as nearly 100 outlets, which have failed to renew their trading license for the next financial year, offered discounts on alcohol by as much as 75%. Over 2.5 litres of country-made liquor was sold on March 31, according to the data obtained from the local excise department.
Speaking to TOI, Raj Narayan Singh Yadav, additional commissioner of excise department of Agra, said: “Since it was the last day of this financial year, it was expected that shops which don’t have a licence for the next term will offer huge discounts on country-made alcohol.”
The excise department official explained that no shop without a permit can possess or sell any kind of alcohol after April 1. “That’s why more than 100 liquor shops across Agra region sold off their stocks by the end of the day,” Yadav added.
A markdown of over 60% on hooch was recorded at various liquor outlets: a 200ml liquor bottle, otherwise priced at Rs 80 on normal days, was sold for Rs 30. By evening, several shops tried to outdo each other by offering customers even more enticing offers. At some places, shops were selling five bottles of alcohol for the price of three.
The trend was even more marked in remote and older parts of the city. For instance, Laxmi Lal, a shop owner in Shahganj locality, claimed to have sold a staggering 2,700 bottles of hooch inside three-and-a-half hours.
Sporadic violence also ensued in the melee to get liquor on the cheap. Two men exchanged blows outside a Lohamandi liquor shop. The incident happened after one of the men was pushed out of the queue while attempting to buy liquor.
Shops in Lohamandi, Bodla, Jagdishpura, Khoza-Ki-Sarai, Madhu Nagar, Ukharra, Babarpur, Vayu Vihar, Dahtora and Billochpura reported maximum sale, as per the excise department data.
