E-Paper
Chandigarh admn nears full liquor vend allocation, 93 of 97 units sold
During the second round of auction, 19 bids were received for 11 vends in Chandigarh, generating revenue of ₹62.38 crore against a reserve price of ₹53.94 crore — an increase of 15.64%
In the second round of e-auction conducted under the Excise Policy 2026-27 on Wednesday, 11 additional liquor vends were successfully allotted.
With this, 93 of the total 97 liquor vends in the city have been allotted. The new policy is set to come into force from April 1.
During the second round, 19 bids were received for 11 vends, generating revenue of ₹62.38 crore against a reserve price of ₹53.94 crore — an increase of 15.64%. The administration also collected ₹38 lakh as participation fee.
Earlier, in the first round of e-tendering held on March 19, 195 bids were received for 82 vends, fetching ₹487.68 crore against a reserve price of ₹376.24 crore, marking a 29% rise, along with ₹3.90 crore in participation fees.
Cumulatively, the excise department has garnered ₹550.06 crore from 93 retail vends against a reserve price of ₹430.18 crore, reflecting an overall increase of 28%. Additionally, ₹4.28 crore has been collected as participation fees. The tendering process for the remaining four licensing units has been initiated.
Officials expressed confidence that the remaining vends will attract competitive bids, given the robust response so far, enabling the administration to surpass its revenue targets. Of the 97 vends in 2025-26, 88 were operational, while the rest remained vacant due to limited bidder interest.
The Excise Policy 2026-27 focuses on transparency and revenue enhancement through technology-driven processes. The entire auction was conducted online using NIC-developed software, with mandatory use of digital signatures and no provision for manual submissions.
To curb cartelisation and monopolies, the policy caps allotment at a maximum of 10 licensing units per entity or group. Key provisions include the reintroduction of liquor licences in departmental stores, permission for bar licensees to procure stock from two nearby vends, enhanced security deposits, and mandatory GPS tracking of liquor transportation.
