There was a time when youngsters would sneak in alcohol at their friend’s wedding, or at a family get-together, because being ‘drunk on the atmosphere’ wasn’t enough. But of late, liquor has become an integral part of social and celebratory occasions with the hosts taking special care to ensure that their guests are happy and in high spirits.
That is evident from the sharp increase in number of applications received for serving liquor at functions and ‘event permits’ issued in the past month. The numbers could climb higher since May and June are busy months when it comes to weddings.
For being able to serve alcohol at social or family gatherings, one has to seek permission from the Telangana Prohibition and Excise department.
While only 335 permissions were issued in January this year, the number shot up to 1,066 in April.
According to data from the Excise department, the maximum permissions issued last year were during the wedding season in November and December, at 954 and 1,259, respectively. The lowest of five permits was issued in May last year, followed by 59 in June, when the devastating second wave of COVID-19 was sweeping through the country.
Permit cost
For the permit, one has to shell out ₹12,000 per day if a ‘social, family and get-together event’ is held in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits or within 5 km periphery, and ₹20,000 if the event is held at a four-star hotel or one with a higher star rating. This information has been provided in a government order (GO) issued in December 2019.
If the event pertains to the sports, commercial and entertainment category, the charges are much higher — ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹2.5 lakh depending on the number of tickets.
“The fee is ₹2,50,000 for sale of tickets numbering above 5,000 for events conducted in stadiums, big open places or big auditoriums,” reads the GO.
Applicants can choose one of the two slots in a day — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
“The entire procedure of applying and getting the event permits happens online. The documents needed can be uploaded through our portal (https://excise.telangana.gov.in/), and the permission is issued within 48 hours. We urge people not to pay any money to agents or any employee to get the permission. The entire process has been made simple,” said Vijay CH, District Prohibition and Excise Officer (Hyderabad).
For serving liquor without the requisite permit, cases could be booked against the function hosts and management of the venue.
