Guwahati: In record liquor sales on the occasion of Holi in Assam, residents of capital Guwahati consumed liquor worth nearly Rs 12 crore with the consumption more than doubling as compared to last year.
Guwahati residents celebrated the festival of colors Holi, locally known as 'fakuwa' on Monday and Tuesday in the midst of the colorful atmosphere.
Interestingly at a time when the people of the state were in mood to celebrate holi, a record quantity of liquor was being sold in the state. A major section of the people celebrated the festival of colors with colorful drinks.
According to official data, Guwahati alone consumed liquor worth Rs 11.8 crore in two days of Holi or Fakua. Of this, more than Rs 6 crore was reported to have been sold on Monday and over Rs 4 crore on Tuesday, the data said. However, the amount is expected to increase further.
Last year liquor worth Rs 10.62 crore was sold in the entire state on two days of Holi. In Guwahati, liquor worth Rs 5.18 crore was sold in the capital city last year, which indicates that the liquor sales doubled in Guwahati city during the festival of colors this year.
It is to be noted that the trend of surge in sale of liquor in the state during festivals is not new with alcoholics breaking new records on the festivals especially during festivals like Durga Puja, Diwali, Vishwakarma Puja, New Year, Bihu etc.
While liquor is considered to have a negative impact on the social system, the government seems to be prioritizing more sales for revenue generation.
The state government plans to license more and more wine shops across the state to generate revenue. Meanwhile the price of liquor in the state will increase from April 1. The government has made liquor easily available across the state.
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