Vijayawada, October 15 — Andhra Pradesh Prohibition and Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra carried out a surprise inspection at a wine shop on Sambamurthy Road in Vijayawada on Tuesday. He was joined by Excise Commissioner Ch. Sridhar during the visit.
At the shop, the minister used the AP Excise Suraksha app — a digital tool that helps verify whether a liquor brand is genuine or counterfeit. The app allows consumers to confirm product authenticity instantly.
After completing the inspection, Ravindra held a review meeting via video conference with excise department officials and staff across the state to discuss enforcement and public safety measures.
Speaking to reporters, the minister criticized the YSRCP for spreading misinformation to malign the government, alleging that many people had died during the previous regime due to the circulation of spurious liquor. To curb such incidents, he said, the NDA coalition government has introduced a new Liquor Policy and allotted wine shops through a transparent process.
Ravindra also mentioned that Janardhana Rao, one of the accused in the fake liquor case, had revealed details of the racket’s conspiracy. He accused YSRCP leaders of wrongly linking unrelated deaths to liquor cases, pointing out an instance where a man who died from dehydration in Nellore was falsely reported as a liquor-related death.
He assured that the government will investigate all such cases thoroughly and take strict action against offenders, regardless of political connections. The minister also warned wine shop owners not to operate illegal belt shops, emphasizing that any violations would invite serious consequences.
Finally, Ravindra appealed to the public to purchase liquor only from authorized outlets and report any suspicious activity to excise authorities. He reiterated that the government will not tolerate politicization of the fake liquor issue and vowed firm action against those attempting to mislead the public.
