Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jun 23: During the lockdown, liquor was permitted to be sold by way of parcel between 6 am and 10 am. However, this could not stop the people from taking the liquor sale to a new high. During the last 54 days, the state has recorded sale of 80 lac boxes of liquor. The sale of liquor reached unprecedented heights during the lockdown.

During the lockdown period, the excise department sold 80 lac boxes of liquor in 54 days. Excise minister K Gopalayya, stated that between April 1 and June 15, in spite of limited hours, liquor registered a sale that was ten percent more than the daily liquor sale in normal course.

Representational image

Officials stated that compared to normal days, an average of 1.7 lac boxes including Indian made liquor (IML) and beer together are sold every day. One box of IML contains 8.64 litres of liquor while a box of beer contains 7.8 litres. An excise official said that during the lockdown period, over 80 lac boxes of liquor was sold. Average daily sale per day is about Rs 65 crore whereas during the lockdown, it was Rs 60 crore.

Taking into account the fact that business was transacted only for four hours every day, the sale is quite impressive. A senior official stated that the liquor sale increased as it was not sold in bars or restaurants.