Telangana government has granted permission to extend the timings for the operation of liquor shops during New Year's eve in the state. According to the latest orders, the shops will be open up till midnight on December 31 and liquor will be served at bars and pubs conducting New Year's Eve Parties till 1 am.

In a memo signed by Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, the Revenue Department said that after careful consideration of the matter, permission was being accorded to the Director, Prohibition & Excise, Hyderabad, "to permit license holders of 2B (Bars), C1 (In-house), EP1 (Event permit) and TD1(In-house) licensees of Tourism Development Corporation, to serve liquor up to 1 am on the intervening night of December 31, 2021 and January 1, 2022." It is also said that those with A4 licenses (Retail shops) can remain open up to midnight on December 31, subject to observance of COVID-19 safety protocol.

A few days ago, Telangana High Court has directed the state government to impose restrictions on public gatherings in view of the festive season. Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice N Tukaramji had asked the Telangana government to regulate large gatherings during Christmas, New Year and Sankranthi celebrations. The Union government also told the states to impose restrictions, night curfews as the number of cases are increasing.

On December 28, Telangana recorded seven new omicron cases taking the total to 62.

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