HYDERABAD: Wine shops in Hyderabad will remain open from 10 am to 11 pm. The Excise Department, on Monday permitted all the 2,182 A4 wine shops to get back to the pre-lockdown timings.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, liquor shops outside Greater Hyderabad could remain open from 9 am to 10 pm while those within the city were permitted to stay open from 10 am until 11 pm. The Excise Department, however, has not issued any guidelines or orders for the opening of bars and pubs that have been shut for over 130 days now.
Wine shop dealers expressed happiness over the decision. "We were in losses first when shops stayed closed for 45 days and then due to the truncated timings when we had to close early. Since most customers pick up their favourite tipple such as beer or a whiskey after work, it was affecting our sales when shops had to close during peak hours. Although the patronage for liquor has been hit by the financial crisis, we are hopeful that new timings will at least bring in more profit," Telangana State Wine Dealers' Association leader D Venkateswarlu explained.