Hitherto, we have been hearing about alleged smuggling of liquor from Telangana and Karnataka into Andhra Pradesh, due to abnormal liquor prices and non-availability of popular brands in Andhra, thanks to the excise policy of the Jagan Mohan Reddy government aimed at enforcing phase-wise prohibition.
Since the prices of liquor in Telangana are cheaper compared to Andhra, people from the border areas have been entering to Telanana consume liquor and come back, apart from bringing a few more bottles.
Though the Jagan government initially gave permission to bring three bottles of liquor of any size from the other states into AP, it later issued orders last year banning transport of liquor bottles completely. Yet, the smuggling of liquor from the neighbouring states had been going unabatedly through various modes.
Now, the Jagan government is facing the same problem on petrol and diesel, too. After the Central government announced a cut in petrol and diesel on the occasion of Diwali, the Karnataka government, too, announced a cut in state tax, there by bringing down the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs 12 and Rs 17 respectively.
This has resulted in the petrol bunk owners on the borders of Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh attracting motorists from AP to buy fuel from their outlets. A petrol pump owner at Kempepura near Rallabuduguru on the borders of AP is distributing pamphlets in Telugu among the people, saying the prices of fuel are cheaper compared to Andhra.
There have been reports that many fuel stations along the Karnataka borders with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have been selling 15,000 to 18,000 litres per day now, as against 3,000 -5,000 litres of fuel they were selling every day till about three days ago.
Apparently, bringing large volumes of fuel from Karnataka outlets in bowsers (mobile fuel dispensers) has increased in the last three days, causing huge loss to Andhra Pradesh exchequer, while Karnataka is making up the losses for reduction in fuel prices by increasing the volume of sales.
“With the Jagan government refusing to bring down the fuel prices, the Karnataka dealers are minting money on the borders,” sources said.
Now, there is a talk in the social media on whether the Jagan government would ask the police to put up check-posts to check even fuel tanks of vehicles to find out any smuggling of petrol and diesel.
“Or he might come out with a condition that no vehicle coming from Karnataka into AP should have more than 10 litres of petrol or diesel,” a netizen quipped.