Chandigarh: 6 rounds of auction held, no takers for 14 liquor vends

Chandigarh, April 25

Even after six rounds of auction, 14 liquor vends remain unsold in the city. The UT Excise and Taxation Department today conducted the sixth round of auction for the allotment of the remaining 21 liquor vends. Of a total of 21 liquor vends, the department has been able to sale only seven vends.

Now, the department will start the auction process again for the allotment of the remaining 14 liquor vends.

In the auction held today, against the reserve price of Rs 6.63 crore, the department received the highest bid of Rs 6.71 crore for the Sector 48 Motor Market liquor vend. Since a licence (on clubbing basis) is to be issued for two liquor vends in Sector 47, the reserve price for these two liquor vends was Rs 8.26 crore. The highest bid of Rs 8.38 crore was received for the two vends. A licence (clubbing) is to be issued for three liquor vends in Sector 45, for which the reserve price was Rs 11.64 crore. The bid for these three liquor vends was only Rs 6,218 more than the reserve price. The reserve price of the Sector 15 liquor vend was fixed at Rs 4.66 crore, for which the highest bid of Rs 4.72 crore was received.

For the financial year 2024-2025, the department has decided to allot a total of 97 liquor vends. Of these, only 14 are left for which the auction process will start again.

In its first round of auction held on March 7 for the allotment of liquor vends under the 2024-25 Excise Policy, the department was able to sell only 51 out of a total 97 vends then. On March 7, the department had earned Rs 243.84 crore against the reserve price of Rs 218.66 crore — an increase of 11.53% over the reserve price) and 10% over the last year’s licence fee.

For the financial year 2024-25, the department has decided to give 84 licences and increase the number of vends from 95 to 97. The total reserve price of all these vends has been fixed at Rs 452.29 crore. For the first time, the UT decided that any liquor vend remaining unsold will be run by Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation Limited (CITCO). Having failed to allot 18 vends, out of a total of 95, despite 20 rounds of auctions under the Excise Policy 2023-24, the department has reduced the reserve prices of certain liquor vends in the 2024-25 policy. — TNS

Sector 48 unit fetches Rs 6.71 crore

In the auction held on Thursday, the Excise Department received the highest bid of Rs 6.71 crore for the Sector 48 Motor Market liquor vend against the reserve price of Rs 6.63 crore