Bidders dry up as Haryana struggles to garner revenue

Liquor contractors in 20 districts, reeling from a recent killing, threats by criminal gangs, have shown reluctance to bid for 260 pending retail liquor zones

- Hitender Rao

CHANDIGARH: With the shadow of criminals looming large over the liquor trade in the state, the BJP led Haryana government faces the challenge of accomplishing its excise revenue target of ₹14,063.91 crore from the sale of liquor for 2025-26 financial year. Even after completion of five rounds of bidding, liquor contractors in 20 districts, reeling from a recent killing and threats by criminal gangs, have shown reluctance to bid for 260 pending retail liquor zones. The reserve price of the pending 260 zones is about ₹3,980 crore.

The June 13 killing of a liquor contractor in Kurukshetra by gangsters, indiscriminate firing at a liquor vend in Rohtak on May 26 where the assailants threatened the contractor not to participate in the bidding for allotment of liquor vends for 2025-27, opening of fire outside a liquor vend on April 8 in Yamunanagar have left liquor contractors petrified and thus affected the business sentiment. So far, the state government has been able to allot 934 retail liquor zones across 22 districts. Each zone consisted of a liquor vend each for selling Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) and country liquor.

Chief minister asks DGP to take action against gangsters Chief minister Nayab Saini on Tuesday evening held a high-level review meeting to assess the law-and-order situation in the context of the setbacks during the excise auctions. The chief minister expressed concern over the killing of a liquor contractor in Kurukshetra and directed the director general of police (DGP) to act firmly. The DGP was also asked to take steps to provide security to everyone who gets threats and extortion calls.