Haryana: New excise policy spells out curbs for ahatas

The Haryana cabinet on Monday approved a sweeping new excise policy for 2025-27 aimed at reining in aggressive liquor marketing and bringing taverns — ahatas — under stricter control.

- Leena Dhankhar

GURUGRAM: The Haryana cabinet on Monday approved a sweeping new excise policy for 2025-27 aimed at reining in aggressive liquor marketing and bringing taverns — ahatas — under stricter control. The policy introduces major reforms designed to curb unlawful commercialisation of liquor zones, plug revenue leakages, and restore regulatory grip over a sector that has long operated in grey areas.

To restrict aggressive marketing, the government has banned liquor signage and advertisements near highways and mandated that vends be fully hidden from public view.

Meanwhile, the minimum distance between liquor shops and sensitive sites such as schools, colleges, religious places, and bus stands has been doubled from 75 metres to 150 metres.

One of the biggest changes is a crackdown on ahatas, with a new cap of 1,000 square metres per establishment. Live music and other performances are now banned at these venues, and operating hours have been curtailed—closing time has been advanced from 8am to 4am.

The move comes after years of citizen complaints, investigative reports by HT, and widespread regulatory violations—especially in Gurugram and Faridabad—where ahatas were found hosting unlicensed live shows, operating commercial kitchens, expanding into multistorey entertainment spaces, and masquerading as pubs and lounges despite holding licences only for retail liquor sale.