The Chandigarh Administration has earned a record ₹496.81 crore by auctioning 83 liquor vends under the new excise policy for 2026–27, reflecting strong demand and aggressive bidding.
Out of 97 vends put up for auction, 83 were successfully sold. The total reserve price for these 83 units was ₹385.24 crore, meaning the final bids were about 29% higher than the base price. In addition, the administration collected ₹3.9 crore as participation fees.
Top Bids
- Palsora vend recorded the highest bid at ₹16 crore, against a reserve price of ₹11.41 crore
- Dhanas vend saw the second-highest bid of ₹12.27 crore (reserve ₹9.62 crore)
- Sector 61 vend fetched ₹11.52 crore (reserve ₹8.21 crore)
Strong Participation
The e-tendering process attracted 195 bids for 84 licensing units. However, one unit (LU-77) was rejected due to technical reasons, resulting in 83 final allotments.
The auction marked the first tender opening after the implementation of the new excise policy and was conducted at Hotel Mountview, Sector 10.
More Revenue Expected
The process for the remaining 14 vends has already begun. Officials said that given the strong response, the administration is likely to exceed its overall revenue targets for the year.
Objections Raised
Meanwhile, Wine Contractors Association Chandigarh, led by Darshan Singh Kler, raised concerns over alleged irregularities, claiming that some bids were accepted after the deadline.
The excise department rejected these claims, stating that all bids were submitted online and no manual entries were allowed. It also highlighted that the policy limits allotment to a maximum of 10 units per entity to prevent monopolies and cartelisation.
Top-Selling Vends Over the Years
- 2026 – Palsora: ₹11.41 cr → ₹16.71 cr
- 2025 – Palsora: ₹10.22 cr → ₹14 cr
- 2024 – Dhanas: ₹8.33 cr → ₹9.18 cr
- 2023 – Palsora: ₹9.60 cr → ₹11.65 cr
- 2022 – Dhanas: ₹10.39 cr → ₹12.78 cr
- 2021 – Dhanas: ₹7.95 cr → ₹11.55 cr
