Hyderabad: In a twist of fate, a man from Nalgonda district who died in a road accident just days before the liquor shop draw turned out to be one of the winners.Kasani Ashok, a resident of Gopalapuram village in Madgulapally mandal, had filed a tender for a liquor shop licence, hoping it would bring stability to his family’s life. However, before the draw could take place, Ashok met with a fatal road accident that claimed his life while he was undergoing treatment in Hyderabad. When the results of the draw were announced, Ashok’s name emerged as the winner for shop number 63. “It feels like fate played a cruel joke. He dreamed of this opportunity, but he’s not here to see it,” said a relative. Excise department officials confirmed that, as per rules, a family member of Ashok will now inherit the licence.The story has sparked widespread discussion across Nalgonda. “Sometimes luck arrives when it’s too late to matter,” said a local trader in Madgulapally. Meanwhile, in another development, the excise department announced that three shops in the Shamshabad excise district will undergo re-tendering despite receiving the highest number of overall applications in the recent state-wide draw. Officials revealed that while the Shamshabad district saw over 8,000 applications for about 110 shops, these three particular outlets received only around 20 applications each — a sharp drop from nearly 80 during the previous licensing period. “We suspect cartel activity might have discouraged others from applying,” said a senior official, noting that the business potential in the area is substantial. Adding to this, the excise department issued a fresh notification on Oct 28 inviting applications for 19 liquor shops across Telangana. The application process will run until Nov 1, with the draw scheduled for Nov 3. According to the notification, applications will be accepted for seven shops in Asifabad, six in Adilabad, two in Jayashankar Bhupalpally, three in Shamshabad, and one in Sangareddy. Prohibition and excise commissioner Hari Kiran has instructed district officers to ensure smooth processing and transparency during the application phase.
