HYDERABAD: The Telangana Excise department has extended the deadline for filing liquor shop licence applications.
Officials reported receiving 38,754 applications by 11 pm on Saturday, the initial deadline. This took the total number of applications to 85,363 for 2,620 liquor shops across the state.
These 38,754 applications added Rs 2,560.89 crore to the state exchequer since the application fee is non-refundable.
Excise Commissioner C Harikiran told TNIE that the department decided to extend the deadline for submitting applications until October 23, following requests from applicants who were unable to file due to the bandh and bank holidays.
He further announced that the draw for allotment of liquor shops, which was earlier scheduled to be held on October 23 in the presence of district collectors, has now been postponed to October 27.
The application process, which began on September 27, started on a sedate note but gained momentum as the deadline neared.
Till Thursday, the department had received 25,000 applications, with another 25,000 filed on Friday, taking the count to 50,000 before Saturday’s final-day surge.
Notably, a woman from Andhra Pradesh reportedly applied for 150 liquor shops, paying Rs 4.5 crore.
Excise officials said that although the total number of applications is slightly lower than in previous years, the department expects higher revenue due to revised licence fees. The department described the response as one of the biggest in recent years.