Andhra Pradesh's chief minister-designate Jaganmohan Reddy

VIJAYAWADA: The state liquor policy is likely to undergo changes as Y S Jaganmohan Reddy , the chief minister-designate, is firm on implementing complete liquor ban in the next five years. The government is likely to crack down on belt shops.

Reddy on Sunday, reiterated in Delhi that he will not seek votes again if he failed to ban liquor by 2024. The plan is to limit the sale of liquor to only five-star hotels. He has asked V Lakshma Reddy from Jana Chaitanya Vedika, an NGO, to submit a roadmap, which can be adopted, to implement liquor ban.

The liquor policy is due to be tweaked this year. With the complete prohibition on the cards, to be taken up in a phased manner, the next policy is likely to be issued for only a year and will be reviewed every year till a complete ban on liquor is achieved.

Another major change in the policy that will send shockwaves among traders is the government maintaining all liquor shops on the lines of Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Speaking to TOI, Lakhsma Reddy said, “To achieve the goal of complete liquor prohibition, the government should have control on both demand and supply. This can be achieved only when the retail business is also with the government, he said. We are proposing to reduce number of shops in phased manner in next five years so as to avoid any legal problems, government should have complete ownership,” he said.

As part of the new policy, liquor rates are likely to go up. This will make liquor less affordable and less available, said Lakshma Reddy. Starting of de-addiction centres, awareness drives and other programmes are also being proposed.

