No price hike in Chandigarh excise policy pours joy for Bacchus lovers

The UT administration has kept liquor prices unchanged in its Excise Policy for 2025-26, bringing cheer to Bacchus lovers.

Be it whisky or wine, the prices will continue to stay at their current levels, making it easier for residents to enjoy a drink without feeling the pinch in the pocket.

Those who enjoy sipping lighter drinks won’t be disappointed either, as the policy has kept licence fees and duties unchanged for beer, RTD (Ready-to-Drink) beverages and similar low-alcohol products as well.

In the policy, which will come into force from April 1, 2025, the UT excise and taxation department has lowered its revenue target, reducing it from last year’s ₹1,000 crore to ₹800 crore, after generating only ₹743 crore in 2024-25.

Also, out of 97 liquor vends, 12 remained unsold. Even in 2023-24, the department had suffered a loss of nearly ₹150 crore after 18 out of 95 liquor vends found no takers even after 20 rounds of auctions.

For the 2025-26 fiscal, the department has reiterated that if the vends remain unsold, CITCO (Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation Limited) will step in to operate them.

Although this provision was included in the 2024-25 policy as well, CITCO showed no interest, resulting in 12 liquor vends remaining unsold. CITCO, incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956, currently operates hotels and petrol pumps in the city.

In some relaxation for bar and restaurant owners, they can also purchase liquor from vendors holding an L-2 licence. Previously, they were required to buy only from wholesale suppliers holding an L-1 licence.

In terms of supply, the quota for country-made liquor has been raised from 18 lakh to 20 lakh proof litres, while the foreign liquor quota has climbed from 6.80 lakh to 8 lakh proof litres.

As for participation in liquor vend auctions, the fee has been set at ₹2 lakh per auction, with a licensee now able to operate up to 10 vends.

A new provision has been introduced, stating that individuals convicted of a criminal offence will not be granted a liquor licence or allowed to participate in auctions.

The department will also implement a “Track and Trace” system to monitor the manufacturing, transport, distribution and consumption of liquor in Chandigarh. The barcode and batch number will provide complete information about the manufacturer, date of production and other details.

Meanwhile, the administration has retained the existing cow cess rates in the Excise Policy, offering no relief to the cash-strapped municipal corporation (MC). The cess is applicable at the rate of ₹0.50 per 750 ml bottle of country liquor, ₹0.50 per 650 ml bottle of beer and ₹1 per 750 ml/700 ml bottle of whisky.

Wholesale licensees are required to deposit this amount in the dedicated MC bank account. The rates have been same since first being notified in 2020.

City guzzled 2 crore bottles of IMFL liquor in 2024-25

Chandigarh’s love for its liquor continued to soar in fiscal year 2024-25, with the city guzzling an impressive 2.10 crore bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), equating to 57,000 bottles per day.

Beer came second with 1.20 crore bottles through the year, averaging at 33,000 bottles every single day. Country-made liquor also remained popular, with 48 lakh bottles being consumed, averaging at 13,150 lakh bottles per day.

The city also consumed a whopping 13 lakh bottles of foreign liquor, which translates to about 3,500 bottles per day.