Excise officer backs e-bidding for liquor licences in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu, April 14

Amid the ongoing stir by wine traders, Jammu and Kashmir Excise Commissioner Rahul Sharma on Wednesday defended the new policy as "transparent" and said e-bidding for liquor licences was introduced to end monopoly.

However, the protesting traders accused the department of hoodwinking the public by its “false narrative".

In an advertisement in a local daily, Sharma highlighted various points of the new policy and also tried to allay apprehensions of wine traders that people from outside the union territory would be accommodated and provided contracts under the garb of the new policy.

“The e-bidding for liquor licenses is confined to the domiciles of J&K only and it will therefore provide employment only to locals. It ends monopoly,” said Sharma.

"One individual-one vend will restrict the practice of monopoly. Solvency certificate of immovable property equivalent to bid amount provides due safeguard that only residents of J&K can participate,” he said.— PTI