02-06-2025
Auction of 50 Gurgaon liquor vends fetches Rs 1,270.40 crore; Bristol Chowk highest at Rs 98.6 crore
The third phase of liquor vend auctions was a bonanza for the Haryana Government's exchequer as bids fetched Rs 1270.40 crore, exceeding the reserve price of Rs 1198.90 crore by 5.96 per cent. Bristol Chowk at the city's elite Golf Course Road saw the highest bids at Rs 98.6 crore by G-Town Wines against a reserve (base) price of Rs 94.6 crore.
Last year, the same zone last year saw the highest bid by the same winning bidder at Rs 48.28 crore against a base price of Rs 36.75 crore.
The Haryana Excise and Taxation Department conducted and completed the auctions of 50 out of 79 liquor retail zones in Gurugram (East) under the Excise Policy 2025-27.
The DLF-3 zone fetched Rs 63 crore against a reserve price of Rs 60 crore, the second highest in the district. The third highest was for the Shankar Chowk zone, which went at the base price of Rs 62 crore.
Nawada zone saw winning bids that were 30 per cent higher than the base price, while the same for South City was 25 per cent, American Express on Southern Peripheral Road at 24.3 per cent, Badshapur at 20.9 per cent, Sikohpur 20.5 per cent, Kankrola 20.5 per cent, Sohna Road at 16.9 per cent, and Banni Square at 12 per cent.
The auctions were conducted under a committee led by the deputy commissioner at the department's Resource Building office. City Magistrate Ravindra Kumar represented the commissioner during the bid opening. Amit Bhatia, Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (East), said the bidding was open from 9 am on May 30 to 4 pm on May 31.
The next auction round for the remaining zones in Gurugram (West) is set for June 3, with e-tenders accepted from 9 am to 4 pm, and evaluations at 5 pm. For the remaining 29 zones in Gurugram (East), tenders will be invited on June 5 from 9 am to 4 pm, with evaluations at 5 pm.
The reserve price for these zones is Rs 1021 crore.
Unlike previous years, where the annual beginning was in June, the excise policy this time is for 22 months, and from 2027 June onwards will be two years, leading to higher bids.
The excise department allots licences through its zones in Gurgaon, and an allottee can open two vends in the zone with a cap of two to limit monopoly by big businesses.
Competition from neighbouring states has increased in recent years because the policy is liberal as compared to those of other states, and the prices are low, driving many companies to make a foray into the business in Haryana, excise officials had earlier told The Indian Express.
The Haryana Government has set a revenue target of Rs 14,064 crore under the current (new) excise policy. In 2024-25, the government collected Rs 12,700 crore against a target of Rs 12,650 crore.
