Liquor contractors in low spirits

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 29

Allotment of liquor vends is going to disappoint the new government this year. Since no applications have been received from the Jagraon and Raikot zones and the number of applications received from the Ludhiana urban zone is also low, the department has re-scheduled the allotment of vends to March 31. The draw was scheduled to be held today.

Now, the applicants can submit their applications by March 30 till 5 pm. Applications for allotment of vends at Jagraon and Raikot can be submitted to the Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner (AETC)-II and those for Ludhiana urban to the AETC-I. The draw will be held on March 31 at 10 am at Bachat Bhawan. The draw for the applications received till March 27 will be taken out first and for the rest after that.

The annual liquor business in Ludhiana is estimated at Rs 7,00 crore. Last year, liquor vends that fall under the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation were allotted for about Rs 462 crore, Ludhiana-I for about Rs 24 crore, Ludhiana-II for about Rs 72 crore and Ludhiana-III for approximately Rs 49 crore. Last year, a total of 4,831 applications were received against just 19 this year.

From this financial year, the number of liquor vends has been reduced and those along the highways have been banned. In Ludhiana district, there are 275 liquor vends, the licences of which will not be renewed.

A liquor contractor from the city said the government had decreased the liquor quota and the number of vends had also come down since there would be no vends on national and state highways, which will result in a downfall in the sales.

“Last year, there was a slump in business and demonetisation only added to our woes. We have demanded from the government a decrease in the licence fee,” he said.