301 bar licences renotified, fresh draw on February 5
Vijayawada: Director of the prohibition and excise department Sridhar Chamakuri on Thursday announced the re-notification of 301 open-category bar licences across Andhra Pradesh under the New Bar Policy-2025–28, and released the schedule for a fresh draw of lots.
He said that under the draw of lots system implemented so far, 541 bar licences in the open category and 84 licences in the reserved category have already been allotted across the state.
However, 299 bar licences remained undisposed, and the government has also accorded permission for the re-notification of two additional bars, one each in Guntur and NTR districts. As a result, a total of 301 bar licences will now be taken up for re-notification.
Providing district-wise details, the director said the highest number of licences proposed for re-notification is in NTR district (55), followed by Visakhapatnam (52), Guntur (42), SPS Nellore (27) and Palnadu (22). Other districts include Vizianagaram (11), Krishna (11), Srikakulam (10), Bapatla (8), Kakinada (8), Ananthapuramu (7), Eluru (7), Kadapa (6), East Godavari (5), Konaseema (5), Chittoor (4), PVP Manyam (4), Tirupati (4), Prakasam (3), Anakapalli (2), Kurnool (2), Sri Sathya Sai (2), Nandyal (1) and Annamayya (1). No re-notification has been proposed at this stage in ASR, Paderu and West Godavari districts.
Explaining the application process, Sridhar Chamakuri said that the list of bars proposed for re-notification has been published in the respective District Gazettes, and the application process has commenced accordingly. Applications will be accepted through online, hybrid or offline modes up to 6.00 pm on February 4, 2026.
The draw of lots will be conducted by the respective district collectors at 8 am on February 5, 2026. Intimation regarding selection and the grant of provisional licences will be issued to successful applicants on the same day.
The director instructed all district excise officials to strictly adhere to the prescribed guidelines and procedures to ensure a transparent, fair and efficient selection process under the new bar policy.
