Chandigarh: Only one liquor vend sold in 13th auction

In the 12th auction held in Chandigarh on May 18, no liquor contractor had turned up despite the reserve price being cut by 40%; before this, only one vend was sold in the 11th auction held on May 12

Despite slashing the reserve price by 45%, the UT excise and taxation department found only one buyer for the 19 unsold liquor vends during the 13th round of auction on Thursday.

Chandigarh has a total of 95 liquor vends, of which 77 have been allotted and 18 remain vacant. The vend allotted on Thursday is located in Industrial Area, Phase 2 (HT File Photo)

The city has a total of 95 liquor vends, of which 77 have been allotted and 18 remain vacant. The vend allotted on Thursday is located in Industrial Area, Phase 2.

In the 12th auction held on May 18, no liquor contractor had turned up despite the reserve price being cut by 40%. Before this, only one vend was sold in the 11th auction held on May 12.

In 2022, the department had managed to sell 93 of 96 vends through seven auctions.

For the financial year 2023-24, the department has fixed a revenue target of ₹830 crore from liquor vends’ licence fees. But has so far collected only around ₹400 crore.