Karnataka bandh on Nov 20: Over 10,000 liquor shops to remain shut amid call for protest

Karnataka bandh latest update: The Karnataka Wine Merchants Federation has called for a day-long Karnataka Bandh on November 20 amid corruption charges in the excise department and the liquor bandh in the state will see over 10,800 liquor licence holders shutting their shops on November 20.

“We are expecting 85-90 percent participation for our bandh," Govindaraj Hegde, General Secretary of the Federation told PTI. Notably, the liquor shop owners have called for a bandh to protest against the "corruption in the Excise Department of Karnataka".

"Things are getting out of hand, the government is unleashing uncontrolled competition by giving new licences without any regard to the prevailing rules. We provide a business of 38,000 crores per annum in the state, but many of the dealers are complaining about not being able to sustain their business due to corruption in the department," Hegde said.

Govindaraj Hegde further added that participation is expected to reach between 85 and 90 percent among liquor license holders, marking a significant show of unity across the industry. 

He added that the situation has become unmanageable, leading to growing frustration within the merchant community. He also alleged that the government continues to issue new licenses, disregarding existing rules and creating a fiercely competitive environment that many of us cannot sustain and explained that established shops, which together bring in approximately Rs 38,000 crore annually, are struggling as a result.

As per the liquor merchants, the unchecked expansion of licensed shops has compounded their challenges, with many small to medium license holders saying they are unable to compete or keep up financially. The Federation claims that many businesses are being forced into an unsustainable cycle to run their shops.