The Haryana government on Wednesday earned Rs 424 crore from the auction of 148 liquor shops in Gurgaon through e-tenders. Excise department officials said the auction was conducted for 42 zones in the west area on Wednesday. For 40 zones in the east area, an auction will be held on May 24. Each zone has four liquor vends.
Anirudh Sharma, deputy excise and taxation commissioner (west), said, “Auction was held in 37 zones out of the total 42 zones in the west zone. As compared to earlier numbers and reserve price, there has been a growth in revenue.”
Excise department officials said that for five zones for which no bids were received, an auction would be conducted at a later time as per a new schedule. The bids were finalised in the presence of four deputy excise and taxation commissioners (DETC) and officials of the sales tax and excise departments.
On May 6, the Haryana government had passed the excise policy for 2022-23. The new policy had stated that the liquor vends shall be auctioned through e-tender of retail zones (comprising maximum four retail shops). In a move aimed at boosting revenue and countering competition from Delhi, the policy had allowed liquor vends in urban areas in Gurgaon the flexibility to operate for 24 hours after paying an additional licence fee.
The excise policy had also stated that bars and pubs can now operate till 8 am in Gurgaon, an extension of two hours from the previous policy.
The above news was originally posted on indianexpress.com
