Festivities often translate to food, drinks and merrymaking. Amid Vishwakarma Puja celebrations, liquor sales went off the charts in Guwahati on Saturday.

According to reports, Guwahati recorded liquor sales of Rs 6.2 crores in a day on the occasion.

Meanwhile, the excise revenue generated from liquor sales yesterday were around Rs 2.25 crores

While it can be argued that excessive drinking is a health hazard and drunkards on the streets can also be a nuisance, liquor sales on such occasions do generate important revenue for the state.

It may be noted that the Assam government had hiked the excise duty to compensate VAT reduction on petrol and diesel in December last year. With the hike in excise duty, the liquor price increased by 15 per cent.