In a major boost to the state exchequer, the Gurugram Excise Department has earned Rs 1,564.30 crore as licence fee from the auction of liquor vends in 148 zones, which last year amounted to Rs 1,079.10 crore from 82 zones. The amount is expected to go up as the auction in the remaining 14 zones is pending. The auction was carried out as per the Excise Policy 2023-24, applicable from June 1.
According to the Excise Department, the highest bid was for the liquor vend on MG Road. The vend was auctioned for Rs 43 crore against the reserve price of Rs 22 crore. A liquor vend near Bristol Chowk was auctioned for Rs 36 crore against the reserve price of Rs 18 crore
Traders from Gurugram, Delhi, Noida and other parts of the country also participated in the auction and areas closer to Delhi borders showcased high demand. The Gurugram district is divided into 162 excise zones. In 2022-23, the number of zones was 82. Under the new excise policy, the number of liquor shops in a zone was reduced to two from four.
Ravinder Singh, Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (East), had 79 zones under his jurisdiction, of which 75 zones have been auctioned for Rs 929.66 crore. “The revenue from licence fee here has increased to Rs 929.66 crore from Rs 646.70 crore last year. We recorded a growth of 43.75 per cent,” he said. Amit Bhatia, Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (West) said they had 83 zones under their jurisdiction, of which 73 zones had been auctioned for Rs 634.64 crore. “The revenue from licence fee here has increased to Rs 634.64 crore from Rs 509 crore last year. We have recorded a growth of 24.21 per cent,” he said.
The liquor vends near Hyatt Regency were auctioned for Rs 26.43 crore against the reserve price of Rs 12.50 crore, and a liquor vend in Udyog Vihar was auctioned for Rs 25.80 crore against the reserve price of Rs 17.80 crore. The collection from licence fee of the vends was Rs 795.77 crore in 2020-21, Rs 789.23 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 1,079.10 crore in 2022-23.
