Government boards, corporations to run 240 unsold liquor vends: Minister
The Himachal Government has decided to run 240 un-allotted liquor vends in five districts through its boards and corporations to avoid revenue loss to the public exchequer.
“The state government has decided to run 240 liquor vends that could not be allotted during an open auction to prevent losses to the exchequer. Despite repeated efforts, the prices being offered at the auction were 20 per cent to 30 per cent less than the base price,” said Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan here today. He chaired a meeting of the Board of Directors of the General Industries Corporation (GIC) and the Himachal Pradesh Small Industries Development Corporation (HPSIDC) to give approval to the two public sector undertakings to run these vends after the completion of formalities.
He said that these vends, some of these in rural areas, could not be sold in the open auction as the contractors felt that they were economically unviable. The contractors quoted prices that were 20 per cent to 30 per cent less than the base price, he added.
“The Cabinet has decided that the boards and corporations of the state government will run the 240 liquor vends that could not be sold in the auction in five districts. Agro Industries Corporation, GIC, HPSIDC, Forest Corporation, Civil Supplies Corporation and HIMFED will run these liquor shops,” he added.
Chauhan said that the Managing Directors (MD) of the corporations had been asked to complete all formalities for running the unsold liquor shops. “We have given financial powers for taking shops on rent and appointing employees on the outsourced basis for running these vends,” he added.
He said, “The GIC has been given 42 liquor vends in Kullu district worth Rs 42 crore. In Mandi district, the HPSIDC has got 23 vends. If the Excise Department fails to negotiate the auction of these vends, the GIC and the HPSIDC will start running them in Kullu and Mandi within a day or two after completing formalities.”
Himachal Tribune