No legal status for belt shops, says govt

Hyderabad: The Telangana government stated on Friday that "belt shops" a common term for unauthorised liquor outlets have no legal standing or definition under the state's excise laws. The Prohibition and Excise Department confirmed it continues to conduct regular raids and enforcement drives to curb the illegal sale of alcohol by unauthorised persons.

Responding to a written query from BRS MLA P Kaushik Reddy and others during Question Hour in the Legislative Assembly, Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao clarified that there is currently no proposal to grant permissions for new elite bars in the state. Addressing the issue of illegal rural outlets, the Minister explained that while the term "belt shop" is not defined in the Excise Act, the department actively targets unauthorised sales in villages. Providing a statistical breakdown of enforcement actions, he revealed that 11,193 cases were registered for the unauthorised sale of liquor between 1 December 2023 and 30 December 2025.

During this period, 10,871 individuals were arrested, and 445 vehicles were seized. Furthermore, officials confiscated a total of 1,13,284 litres of illicit or unauthorised liquor. The Minister also put to rest speculation regarding retail expansion, stating that the government has no plans to increase the number of wine shops across the state.