The Karnataka State Beverages Corporation Limited (KSBCL), the implementing agency for liquor sale, is struggling to meet the liquor sales target set by the government.
The KSBCL could sell just 78,219 boxes of Indian-made liquor (IML) as against the target of 96,550 boxes for January 2014.
Similarly, it managed to sell only 80,774 boxes against the target of 98,305 in February and 85,998 boxes against the target of 1,07,519 in March.
Despite the poor sales, KSBCL in the district procured about 23,677 litres of IML from distilleries on April 12 this year compared to 20,000 litres on the same day in 2013. It bought the extra 3,000-odd litres of IML in the hope that the April 17 elections could boost the sales, official sources told Express. Intriguingly, it procured the huge additional quantity despite the strict vigil on illegal transport and sale of liquor and the ban imposed on liquor sale between April 15 and 17 due to the elections. Sources feel that in view of these restrictions, KSBCL may not be able to increase the liquor sales.When asked about the procurement of huge quantities of liquor on a single day, KSBCL manager S J Pinnapati on Tuesday pointed the finger at the head-office and maintained that district-wise procurement of liquor is decided by the higher authorities.