# Andhra halts liquor shop renewals, invites fresh bids from Thursday 2026-09-24T10:16:45+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Andhra Pradesh Excise Department will not extend the deadline for renewing A4 liquor shop licences for 2026-27. Fresh applications will be invited from Thursday for shops that were left unrenewed, with the last day for submissions on October 1. As of September 23, 3,650 shops were notified for renewal. Of these, 3,236 applied and 2,906 made payments, with 2,873 paying the full Retail Excise Tax. East Godavari recorded the highest payment rate at 97.1%, while Guntur lagged at 64.5%. Shops that paid the full renewal RET by midnight Monday are considered renewed and will not be part of the new application process. Scrutiny of fresh bids will be on October 3, followed by allotment through a draw of lots on October 5. ## Indian Opinion Analysis This is the first time since 2020 that Andhra Pradesh has gone through a full tender cycle for A4 shops instead of routinely renewing licences. About 770 shops will be re-auctioned, which could shift revenue patterns: East Godavari, with a 97% payment rate, pays far more in RET than Guntur or Visakhapatnam, where over 30% of shop owners have stayed away. The Excise Department’s own RET demand must meet the State’s budgeted excise revenue target for 2026-27, and the draw of lots on October 5 will show whether lower-demand areas attract bidders at the reserve price. ## Coverage - thehindu.com Tags: A4 liquor shops, Andhra Pradesh Excise Department, East Godavari, Guntur, Visakhapatnam Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/andhra-halts-liquor-shop-renewals-invites-fresh-bids-from-thursday/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/andhra-halts-liquor-shop-renewals-invites-fresh-bids-from-thursday/#story-in-brief