Liquor shops in pre-fabricated structures closed

The liquor shops running in pre-fabricated structures on the roadside have been closed for business from May 1. The UT excise and taxation department had taken the decision of removing pre-fabricated vends following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court, which were issued last year.

The liquor shops running in pre-fabricated structures on the roadside have been closed for business from May 1.

The UT excise and taxation department had taken the decision of removing pre-fabricated vends following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court, which were issued last year.

There are a total of 38 pre-fabricated structures in the city, which are being used as liquor vends on the roadsides.

UT assistant excise and taxation commissioner Naresh Dubey said, “We have started receiving applications from traders for vacating the premises.“The structures will be removed within a period of 10 days.”

Pre-fabricated vends have been a major source of revenue, and with the decision of their closure, the department is expected to incur a loss to the tune of around Rs 80 crore. Once vacated, all these vends will be razed.

Last year, a pre-fabricated vend located in Sector 52 fetched a bid of whooping Rs 4.25 crore against the reserved price of Rs 3.3 crore, while another pre-fabricated vend located at Behlana went for Rs 4.25 crore.