Himachal govt’s hopes of higher revenue dashed as only 30 of 139 liquor vends auctioned in Chamba

 Against the target of ₹108.84 crore, only ₹19.3 crore realised so far

The Newz Radar

CHAMBA: The Excise and Taxation Department in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba failed to meet the government’s expectations during the auction process for 139 liquor vends in the district. Despite a five-hour auction, the department only managed to sell 30 vends.

Of the base price of Rs 108.84 crore that was fixed by the government, only Rs 19.33 crore was realised from the sale of these 30 units. The auction included the Bharmour and Kiyani units, each of which received only one tender.

Last year, the government had earned Rs 108.84 crore from liquor vends in Chamba. The amount was set as the base price for this year’s auction as well. However, liquor contractors expressed reluctance to participate due to the high base price, deeming it unprofitable. Chamba district has a total of 11 units under the Excise and Taxation Department, including Bharmour, Chamba, Tisa, Saloni, Sultanpur, Luna, Dalhousie, Banikhet, Chuwadi and Kiani.

The auction, held at Bachat Bhawan at the district headquarters, saw tender submissions only for the Bharmour and Kiyani units. No tenders were received for the remaining nine units despite officials’ repeated requests for participation.

The process was overseen by Chamba ADM Rahul. It is expected that the department will conduct another auction for the remaining units in compliance with government guidelines.

Contractors insisted that the remaining units will remain unsold until the government revises its fixed base price. The Bharmour unit, with a base price of Rs 10.50 crore, could yield a mere Rs 52,000 more than the previous year. Similarly, the Kiyani unit sold for just Rs 10,493 more than its base price of Rs 8.52 crore