Saturday, March 29, 2025
The Chandigarh UT Excise and Taxation Department has announced that the auction for the remaining 11 liquor vends will be held on May 19. This comes after a series of auctions and cancellations amid controversies and enforcement actions.
In recent auctions, the department earned substantial revenue, including Rs 606 crore from the March 21 auction where 96 out of 97 vends were successfully allotted, exceeding the reserve price by 36%. However, several bidders failed to submit mandatory bank guarantees, leading to cancellations and re-auctions. For instance, on April 14, only 6 out of 17 vends were sold, generating Rs 39.60 crore against a reserve price of Rs 24.32 crore.
Due to non-compliance with security deposit requirements, the department has blacklisted seven major liquor traders. These traders failed to deposit the required security amount within the stipulated time. The cancelled licenses belong to vends located in Sector 20D (Vijender), Sector 22B2 and 22C2 (Kamal Karki, Ajay Mahar), Industrial Area Phase 1 (Nisha Karki), and Manimajra Shivalik Garden (Neeraj Sharma). These vends will be included again in the upcoming auction.
The department emphasized that such irresponsible behavior undermines the auction process and transparency. It has also directed other states and union territories to blacklist these traders and recover outstanding dues.
So far, the excise department has earned over Rs 606 crore in revenue from liquor vend auctions in Chandigarh, with ongoing efforts to auction the remaining outlets to meet revenue targets.
This auction and enforcement drive reflect the administration’s commitment to ensuring compliance and maximizing revenue from liquor licenses in the city.
