Chandigarh: 12th liquor vend auction ends with no bids

While one liquor vend was sold in the 11th auction held on May 12, no taker came forward in the 12th round on Thursday

The UT excise and taxation department’s 12th auction to lease out the 19 unsold liquor vends on Thursday proved to be a futile exercise despite slashing the reserve prices by up to 40%.

Chandigarh has 95 liquor vends, of which 76 have been allotted and 19 remain vacant. (HT File Photo)

While one liquor vend was sold in the 11th auction held on May 12, no taker came forward in the 12th round on Thursday.

The city has 95 liquor vends, of which 76 have been allotted and 19 remain vacant.

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

For 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.

A senior UT officer said, “ We were hopeful of auctioning at least two to three liquor vends on Thursday, but are really disappointed with the outcome. We had held a meeting with the liquor contractors and some of them had even assured to participate in the auction, but no one turned up. We will hold a meeting with the senior officers of the department for the next course of action.”