Liquor vends: Why no bidders are coming forward even after 5 rounds of online auction

"Crime clouds" are hovering over the lucrative, but highly-unorganised liquor trade in Haryana. With no takers for a substantial number of liquor vends due to a variety of reasons, including threats from criminals, liquor trade is facing tough times in Haryana, which heavily relies on excise revenue to fund its development projects and pro-poor initiatives.

What is more worrying for the Nayab Singh Saini government is the fact that liquor shops across all zones (a zone comprises an English and a country liquor wine shop) in nearly 20 of the state's 22 districts have remained "unauctioned", even after five rounds of online auction. Worse, a large number of liquor shops in "high-potential" zones, including in Gurugram, Faridabad, Panchkula and Yamunanagar, are still waiting for allottees.

The June 13 killing of a liquor contractor at Kurukshetra has triggered panic among the liquor traders across the state. This was followed by several firing incidents and threats to potential bidders in Rohtak and Yamunanagar.

A concerned Chief Minister Saini called a meeting of liquor contractors, a first in the state, assuring them of safety and security and a level playing field.

Saini even chaired a high-level meeting, directing the DGP to get tough with criminals issuing threats to prospective bidders for the liquor shops.

Though muscle power and highhandedness have always been an integral part of liquor business in Haryana, large-scale violence and threats to potential bidders have never been a norm in the past. But the situation seems to be getting from bad to worse this time, triggering panic among traders and excise officials.

The liquor trade in Haryana is not controlled by a large syndicate or cartel, like in other states. A majority of liquor shops are allotted through a transparent online bidding process to the allottees, either as a standalone liquor zone or a combination of liquor zones.

Going by statistics, the BJP government has pegged excise revenue at Rs 14,063 crore for 2025-2026 financial year. Till now, the Excise Department has been able to auction 934 liquor zones, netting Rs 11,054 crore. Still, there are no takers for 260 liquor zones, with a reserve price of Rs 3,980 crore. In Yamunanagar alone, 45 of the 55 liquor zones have failed to attract any bidders.

"The liquor trade is already facing declining profit margins in the wake of cut-throat competition from the neighbouring states and lopsided excise policies. The threat from criminals is virtually the last straw," says a prospective bidder from Panchkula.

Former Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala, who was the excise and taxation minister in the BJP-JJP government for over four years, took a jibe at Saini's social media poster meant for criminals --- "Gundagardi chhod do, ya Haryana chhod do". "The CM should refrain from filmy dialogues and theatrics, and instead, focus on improving law and order. Sadly, there is a widespread perception in the state and country that the criminals are calling the shots in Haryana, with the BJP government failing to instil a sense of security among the common people," he alleged.

A government functionary, however, exuded confidence that with Saini giving a free hand to the police to deal with criminals, the law and order situation would improve soon, paving the way for auction of the remaining liquor zones. The trends so far indicates that the Excise Department is set to meet its revenue collection targets for the year 2025-26 comfortably," he claimed.