Liquor prices go up in Ggm, new excise regime enforced
The Haryana government has so far auctioned 162 zones in Gurugram — 83 in the west, and 79 in the east
Gurugram:Haryana’s new excise policy 2024-25, which proposes an increase in duties on liquor, came into force on Wednesday, leading to a 20% hike in liquor prices in Gurugram.
As part of the new excise policy, the Haryana government also auctioned 162 zones with 324 liquor vends across Gurugram east and west through e-tenders, earning ₹1,756 crore — an increase of 9.4% on the reserve price, excise officials aware of the matter said.
The reserve price is the lowest price at which the department auctions a vend.
Despite the hike in price, consumers from Delhi and Noida were seen buying their stock at liquor vends across the city.
Vikas Ambawata, a resident of Chattarpur in Delhi, said the hike is noticeable but the variety of brands available in Gurugram makes its vends more attractive. “Since there are hardly any brands available in Delhi, I prefer to buy from Gurugram, even if I have to pay extra,” he said.
Ravi Desai, a resident of Vasant Kunj, added, “The selection in Gurugram is far better than in Delhi, where many stores run out of stock quickly. The swanky liquor shops are worth a visit, and it is worth the extra cost for the convenience and choice.”
Auction gets good response
The Haryana government has so far auctioned 162 zones in Gurugram — 83 in the west, and 79 in the east. The highest bid it received was ₹50.57 crore for a liquor vend on Golf Course Road, and the second highest bid was of ₹48.28 crore for a vend at Bristol Chowk.
To be sure, data shared by the excise department has revealed that five of the top 10 bids for liquor vends are located near the border with Delhi.
In addition, two zones in the west and 20 in the east are set to be auctioned in another phase on June 14. “The amount will increase once all the liquor shops are auctioned. The district has done and revenue has increased,” deputy excise and taxation commissioner (east) Amit Bhatia said.
Deputy commissioner of excise and taxation (Gurugram west) Jitender Dudi said the auction saw a good response, and with the new excise policy and timings in place, footfall will increase at the stores.
“Sales will go up within days of the new owners taking possession of the vends due to the upcoming wedding season. Most stores have been auctioned to the same owners, so there won’t be much change. However, this is the first time that people can buy imported liquor at a fixed price, and there will be no monopoly,” he said.
Flexibility to bar owners
In addition to the price hike, the new excise policy allows licensed bar operators to buy liquor from any of their two nearest vends, provided that these shops belong to different licence holders.
This change, officials said, aims to offer more flexibility and convenience to bar operators in sourcing their supplies.
National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) trustee Rahul Singh, the founder of Beer Café, said that one of the main objectives of the new policy is to establish a transparent system of allotment of retail outlets, and to provide good quality liquor at a reasonable price.
“The state continues to meet their long-term objectives of breaking the cartels, broad-basing the trade by facilitating the entry of new players of even modest means. And therefore, there is provision of supply to bars from any of the nearest two different L-2 retail vend licensees as per their choice. Also, none of the said two L-2 licensees can demand from the bar licensee a price which is more than 10% above the minimum retail sale price fixed as per the policy,” he said.