There will be no major changes in the UT excise policy this year. Sources in the administration say in the draft policy, which is yet to be notified, the number of vends and the quota of sale for liquor is likely to remain same as that in the excise policy for 2015-16.
The policy will be discussed with UT adviser Vijay Dev before a final notification by UT administrator Kaptan Singh Solanki.
There are 48 groups for a total 100 vends across the city. The reserve price for the vends in the new excise policy (2016-17) will be the total revenue collected from the allotment of vends in 2015-16, which was around Rs 170 crore.
The liquor quota is also expected to remain same 75 lakh proof litres, which comes to around 11 lakh cases. In the excise policy for 2014-15, the quota was 1.13 crore proof litres for 12 months but last year, it was reduced to 75 lakh proof litres.
President of the Chandigarh Wine Merchants’ Association Satya Pal said: “We are looking forward to the new policy. If the excise duty, VAT and ex-distillery price remain the same, there is likelihood that there would be increase in revenue by 5 to 6%.”
Last year, the administration had made major changes in the excise policy and had resorted to its 14-year-old policy to sell vends in clusters or groups. A senior official said the reserve price of the high-demand units might be increased and decrease in case of vends having less demand.
{{/usCountry}}Last year, the administration had made major changes in the excise policy and had resorted to its 14-year-old policy to sell vends in clusters or groups. A senior official said the reserve price of the high-demand units might be increased and decrease in case of vends having less demand.
{{/usCountry}}The UT administration had also held a meeting with the Chandigarh Wine Merchants Association in this regard.