Bengaluru, May 4: Booze lovers ushered in the resumption of liquor sales in a spirited fashion in Karnataka onMonday thronging stores hours before shutters went up at severalplaces and made no secret of their celebratory mood.
At some places, they flocked liquor shops even before day-break and performed "special prayers" with flowers, coconuts,incense sticks, camphor and crackers in front of the stores.
Liquor outlets had been shut in the State from March 25 following the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Excise revenue loss during the period was about Rs 2,500 crore, according to government sources.
About 4,500 standalone liquor outlets (CL-2 and CL- 11licence holders), which comprise wine stores and those owned bystate-run Mysore Sales International Limited, outside containmentzones were allowed to be opened from Monday from 9 am to 7 pm withsome restrictions.
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These include customers compulsorily wearing of facemasks andmaintaining social distancing with not more than five people inside liquor shops.
Many customers were indeed well-prepared.
At many places, they came with umbrella, raincoat, newspapers and books and queued up as early as 3 am.
At a liquor shop in Salegame Road in Hassan, the tipplers lit the traditional lamp and incense sticks, performed 'aarati'with camphor and decorated the store with the garland of flowers.
With folded hands, they all performed 'special prayers'.
In Mandya, the tipplers queued up before Martaanda liquor shop before dawn.
An hour before the sales were to resume, a few people burst crackers in celebration.
Some tipplers in Belagavi were more "enterprising."
They wentto a liquor store on Sunday night itself, performed special prayersand placed their "representatives" in the form of slippers, bags and stones in the "social distancing boxes" they themselves had drawn sothat they don't have to stand in queue in the morning.
An elderly woman Dakamma was the centre of attraction in Shivamogga.
The bent body did not bend the determination of this spirited lady, claimed to be 96-year-old, who was heard saying "liquor is goodfor health."
At the taluk headquarters town of Brahmavara in the coastal Udupi district, the queue of the booze lovers was reported to be almost half-a-kilometre.
Long queues were seen at liquor stores at Mariyappana Palya and K R Puram, among others, in Bengaluru.
The store managers too were no less cautious while dealing with customers in the COVID era.
They let the customers enter after spraying sanitisers in their hands, and allowed only those who hadworn masks and maintained social distancing.
To maintain law and order, authorities had deployed policemen in good numbers at these stores and they were seen on duty ensuring that customers maintained social distancing.
Comments
Yedi & Shoba Always to be in Media with no Reason. Why is Media promoting when BJP says Madrasa is giving rise to Terrorist. Media is blowing things out of propotion. What happend with Hemanth Karkere(HK)? Who Killed him? He was telling the news of actual terrorist in India. Hope everyone remembers what HK revealed. I dont support any of the party. But BJP did biggest blunder by doing demonitization. Just to make their money white. People please grow up. See the Petrol price HIKE happening. Why SHELL petrol does not have Subisidy? Why GST is not introduced in Petrol ? There are so many things to think about. These people play with law & order. See yeddy is so confident giving Dhamki to Police. Only god can Save us !!!
The common man of India is struggling for fulfilling his basic needs, he wants peace, he does not need leaders who divide society on caste and religious grounds and create chaos and hatred in the country.
Well said, Most of the BJP leaders are responsible to created violation.
Statistics show that more Indians have been killed by RSS than by Pakistani terrorists.
Who then is worse?
Is she a member of parliment or she a member of RSS, I havent seen any statement from shobha who has talked of development from her mouth. every time her statement is about RSS/sangh parivar, Does she deserve a MP seat? its better she owes her full time to RSS intead of being a MP. Shame on her she represents the whole constituency not only RSS AND SANGH PARIVAR TERRORISTS
what STRATERGY to DISTURB PEACE OF OUR NAMMA NADU KARNATAKA
Fact is a fact, why Amit shah is not in the group,who is the main culprit holding 14 muderes on his head
"BJP gay nachgayne Illa",
if they have little shame left all these leadres would have not come to street with head's down for their super leaders who committed the crimes,
Indirectly it shows that they confirms what Mr Siddaramaih says..!!!
"nanu BJP nanu RSS", not full
"nanu BJP nanu RSS nanu BrahminBaniaJumlaParty", better!!!
Hindus beware of Brahmin Domination in RSS, they dominated exploited non-brahmins for past 5000 years, dont let them control us!!!
All are equal in Democracy, RSS is a Rascist organisation, majority leaders are Brahmins! Dont forget!!!
Congis are ######s, they were responsible for 1984.
Bjp are ######s, they were responsible for 1992, 2002.
Indira made a political decision, bad decision BUt a political one.
Advani, Joshi, Uma bharati gave speeches in Ayodhya which started riots killing of 3000 people.
Both parties have blood on their hands.
Both need to be sacked and someone better needs to be brought in.
@Truth
Excellent question. The current vicious atmosphere is because of them
Who perpetrated 1984 anti-sikh riots? RSS?
Good decision. Please go and sit in jail.
Nanu shoba matthu yediyurappa naau bjp rss bajarang te ... r.. r ... t ect.....
Another comedy by Sho-bokka. Please try a good mimicry
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