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.
Free Games on Deccan Chronicle. No Installing, No Charges. Stay Home Stay Safe. Click the Banner to play Now.
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
Haha #1...RSS policy don't work ?,...then you are madrasa illetarate only ..sumne 30 days English speaking coarse kalsi ..love jihad ge train madiro product antha gottagutte ....we from RSS at very rapid rate penetrating Kerala and not one or even 10 killings deter us....we love our motherland to the core ....sangh will give befitting reply to their opponents in their own language ....
I think the cheddis have read the history of Zioist..of their deception and still wants to follow that way and deceiving many youths to take their side without considering the results...
Zioist fooled the people on World war by supplyng the weapons to both sides. and also fooled the countries thru bankers....
Russians and chinese recognised them and oppose their stratergy.
india has recognized it but cheddis controlled govt. will take the indians into their deception .. This is the REALITY.
Many families have lost their sons and the family members are in suffering...
And people will come to know only when it reaches their house holds.
If Your heart recognised the LIARS, better to start distancing from the LIARS. if not You will fall to the trap of their deception
Killers feeling the HEAT...
Some young life lost
and the HATERS are playing their games of blaming
the parents and the family of the killed will be suffering...
When can WE honest people understand this game of Hatred.
Why cant WE support openly to those who are against Hatred..
come lets join and voice out against the hate campaigns
What difference it is going to make....end of the day general public has to suffer....
Yes bjp, now you aware you JEWS policy will not accepted in GODS OWN LAND. You are targeting in your dominated state but it won't work out all over INDIA.
Tit For Tat is the right policy for you and your backing communal group.
Jai Hind!
Add new comment