Permit rooms operated by liquor traders in Karimnagar joint district are being operated against the rules, leading to violent incidents. Two murder incidents took place in permit rooms in Karimnagar city within a month. Recently, a youth was brutally murdered in front of a liquor shop opposite the Karimnagar One Town Police Station. Another man was killed in a drunken brawl between two men.
In August, a fight broke out between two drunken men in a permit room, resulting in one man hitting the other on the head with a rock and causing instant death. These incidents have caused panic among the people. Despite this, the Excise department has not taken any action against the permit rooms that are operating against the rules.
The officials have set a target for the traders to get more applications for each shop during the current liquor license period. However, it is criticized that not a single liquor store that is running permit rooms contrary to the rules has been seized. According to the rules, a person who buys alcohol from a liquor shop should only get drunk in the adjacent permit room and leave immediately. The permit room should have an area of only one hundred square meters and should only have one table with food available in packets.
However, most liquor shops do not follow these rules. They have permit rooms with an area of 1000 to 1500 square meters and tens of tables and chairs. They also serve all kinds of meat and liquor addicts spend hours there. The permit rooms at the wine shops are getting out of control with the help of field-level excise officers. Residents have complained that officials are not paying attention to their concerns.
There are also issues with cleanliness in the permit rooms. Garbage heaps are filled with used liquor bottles and water packets. Many permit rooms do not have licenses to serve food. Facilities like drinking water and toilets are also lacking in most permit rooms. Additionally, there are belt shops in every village of Karimnagar district that operate non-stop from 6 am to 12 midnight. Despite the upcoming elections and festivals, the Excise officials are not taking any action against these illegal operations.
As a result, liquor shop owners are preparing to set up more belt shops and permit rooms on a large scale.
